The Panthers had two of the oldest players in the NFL starting for their defense in 2018 – that won’t be the case in 2019 as Julius Peppers, who was the longest-tenured active defensive player in the NFL, announced his retirement last month and now Mike Adams, the 37-year old safety who started every game for the Panthers the past two years and was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, announced via social media that the team has informed him they’ll be moving in a different direction next season.
The Panthers re-signed Eric Reid to a three-year deal earlier this month and drafted Rashaan Gaulden in the third round of the 2018 draft – in addition to Gaulden and Reid, they also have Da’Norris Searcy and Damian Parms under contract for 2019.
Adams, who was signed as a free agent ahead of the 2017 season, recorded 152 tackles, five interceptions, 14 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble over the span of the past two seasons – his five interceptions are the most of any Panther in the last two years and he is tied for the most takeaways over that span. His 46 career takeaways – 30 interceptions & 16 fumble recoveries – lead all active defensive players.
Adams ranked fifth on the team in 2018 in tackles with 77 combined stops over the course of the season.
In addition to moving on from Adams, the Panthers will not be returning Thomas Davis and Peppers, two of the defensive leaders last season – the Panthers will be losing multiple locker room leaders as they head into 2019. Adams and Davis were both set to hit free agency and both expressed interest in returning to Carolina, even in more limited roles, but the team has chosen not to renew either players’ contract.
Davis responded to the above Instagram post with his feelings on the subject – “That’s what happens when you get old!!🤣🤣🤣”
