The Carolina Panthers are moving on from another longtime veteran.
The Panthers are cutting kicker Graham Gano, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday.
Gano's wife first indicated the team was moving on in a heartfelt goodbye post on Instagram.
After three years in Washington to open his career, Gano spent the past eight years in Carolina, which included four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl run.
Gano missed all of 2019 with a knee injury. In the meantime, the Panthers moved on with Joey Slye. Now they'll make the switch permanent.
When healthy, the 33-year-old Gano is a reliable booter with a good leg. In 12 games in 2018, he made 14 of 16 field goals, including a 63-yarder, and hit 30 of 33 PATs.
It's unclear if he's fully healthy at this stage of his career, but given the consistent need for capable veteran kickers, Gano should find a job at some point this season. At the very least, he should be on nearly every team's check-in list if its kicker gets diagnosed with COVID-19 during the season.
The move saves the Panthers $2.8 million on the salary cap but leaves another $1.5 million in dead money the next two years. It adds to Carolina's already league-high dead money figure in 2020, which sat at more than $41 million before Gano's release. The high figure underscores the turnover the Panthers have endured as they overhaul the roster under Matt Rhule.
