No. 44 will be coming back for yet another year in Panther blue, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt.
Career Panther and longtime long snapper in Carolina J.J. Jansen has re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal.
Going into his 15th season in Charlotte, Jansen’s longevity holds significance for several reasons.
First of all, Jansen is the longest-tenured player on the team. Not only that, he is also one of the longest-tenured Panthers of all time.
His 15th year in Carolina will match that of former teammate, and fellow special teamer, kicker John Kasay, who played 15 seasons with the Panthers in 16 years (he missed the 2000 season with a broken kneecap).
Despite having completed one fewer season than Kasay, Jansen surpassed Kasay in total games played with Carolina this past season, finishing the season with 226 games played, five more than Kasay’s total of 221.
Jansen’s new contract ensures that he will be making an attempt to come back next year and break his own record with each game played. What’s more impressive is that Jansen’s 226 games played are consecutive, meaning, since he joined Carolina, he has yet to miss a single game.
Coming back next season will give him a chance to move up the list of most consecutive games played all-time. He currently ranks 21st all-time in that category and 17 more regular season games would place him in a tie at 10th will former linebacker Bill Romanowski.
Jansen ranks second in the category for active players, 32 games behind longtime Packers kicker Mason Crosby.
“To do this another year, we’re just really grateful to be back,” Jansen told Gantt. “I’m loving the coaching I’m getting from Chris Tabor, love playing with Johnny Hekker, and to be able to work with kickers like Zane Gonzalez and Eddy Pineiro the last two years has been great.”
Jansen is clearly excited to continue working with Tabor, who was retained by new head coach Frank Reich. He also mentioned an ambition to play under Reich for years to come. Four years to be exact, according to Jansen.
Although that continued longevity is not insinuated by his new one-year contract, the deal is a veteran contract which qualifies for a break against the salary cap and doesn’t reflect whether or not the team wishes to retain Jansen long-term.
Playing four more 17-game seasons would put Jansen at 294 consecutive games played, good for third all-time behind only former punter Jeff Feagles (352) and former quarterback Brett Favre (299). The road to third will start in September when Jansen kicks off Year 15 of his career.
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