It did not take long for Matt Ioannidis to find a new home.
The former Washington Commander defensive lineman is signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. ... amid a bit of controversy on his way out.
Ioannidis was released by the Commanders on Wednesday. The move saved the team $7 million in cap space for the upcoming season. With Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne controlling the interior of the defensive line, Ioannidis has been playing a backup role.
But the move, the players' reps say, was a surprise - and came after Washington "lied.''
Ioannidis spent six years in Washington playing 73 games and making 40 starts. His best year came in 2018 when he logged a career-high 8.5 sacks. Ioannidis had a down year in 2021, recording just 2.5 sacks in 16 games.
Washington releasing Ioannidis came as a bit of a surprise, especially after Tim Settle agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Bills.
The news came as a shock to Ioannidis and his agent Alan Herman as well. Herman said that the Commanders told Ioannidis he would not be released.
“They looked us straight in the eye,'' Herman said, ‘Absolutely not. We have no thoughts of releasing Matt Ioannidis,’” He “We don’t particularly care to be lied to to our face. I don’t like when someone lies to my face.
“They took him out of the free agent market now for two days. That puts us now at a disadvantage because other teams have paid other defensive linemen contracts, and (Ioannidis) hasn’t been able to take advantage of that.
"That’s not the way you conduct business in the National Football League.”
Ioannidis was the second-longest tenured player on the team at the time of his release. Punter Tress Way is now the only player to be with the team from before 2016. Now, Ioannidis has the chance to prove he can return to form and be a starting-caliber lineman in Carolina.
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