Earlier this year, the Panthers locked up kicker Graham Gano through the 2021 season after he set the franchise record for accuracy by a field goal kicker, making 29 of 30 kicks in 2017 and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl; before the 2016 season, they locked up long snapper JJ Jansen until after the 2020 season.
Now, the trio of specialists that has produced so well last season will be together for a while as the team announced Tuesday that they have signed punter Michael Palardy, who set a franchise record for net punting yardage average with 42.4 alongside 46.0 gross yardage average in 2017, to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2021 season.
They’re the 3️⃣ best friends that anybody could have… pic.twitter.com/C6civ0rY4I
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 2, 2018
Had he not signed the extension, Palardy would have become a restricted free agent after this season.
Palardy landed 25 punts inside the 20 in 2017 – and 8 of his 14 this season have stuck the Panthers’ opponents with similar field position; he also tied for the third-fewest touchbacks (4) among qualified punters last season. Palardy won a position battle with incumbent Andy Lee during training camp ahead of 2017 and it quickly became clear that Ron Rivera and Marty Hurney had made the correct choice – now the punter who has turned into a field position weapon for the Panthers will remain with the team through 2021.
Palardy was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Tennessee – where he finished second in school history in net punting and third in field goal percentage – in 2014 and signed with seven different teams, including a stint in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts, before landing with the Panthers in 2016 after Lee suffered an injury.
“When you look back at my first two-and-a-half years out of college, there were definitely times when I questioned if I was going to continue playing, if I was going to get the right opportunity,” Palardy said via the team website. “When I finally got my shot, it was very emotional, very overwhelming. And this point right now is the exclamation point.
“Looking back on it, I appreciate the adversity, appreciate the hard times. It gives me a different perspective.”
League sources say the extension is worth just over $7.5m over three years, with a $2m contract extension.
