The Carolina Panthers must’ve been in a warm and fuzzy mood on Wednesday afternoon.
A few hours after bringing back the beloved Steve Wilks to head the secondary, the team announced they agreed to terms with longtime long snapper J.J. Jansen. Jansen was set to become an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2022 campaign.
The recently turned 36-year-old has spent 13 seasons in Carolina. He was initially signed into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers back in 2008, but would then be traded to the Panthers for a conditional 2011 pick.
Since then, the franchise’s longest-tenured player has appeared in each of the team’s games since 2009. So, yes, he’s played in a whopping 209 straight contests.
Despite today’s news, that streak may be in jeopardy come summertime. Carolina is still rostering fellow long snapper Thomas Fletcher, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
Either way, Jansen will have another chance at fending off the youngster and a shot at surpassing kicker John Kasay’s franchise record of 221 games played.
