Why Choosing Gano Over Butker In 2017 Was The Right Choice

Defending the much maligned Panthers' decision.

The only thing Panthers' fans love more than their team scoring a touchdown is grumbling when Harrison Butker nails a kick for the Chiefs. On Sunday, when Butker nailed the longest kick in Super Bowl history, narratives about Carolina's incompetence began to fly.

To be fair, the organization has had a number of incompetent moments throughout the years that can be maligned. Chosing Gano over Butker is not one.

The Roaring Riot's Josh Klein said it well on Twitter.

He’s right. That 2017 Panthers team had Super Bowl aspirations. Can’t have a rookie kicker - I was at camp that year watching Gano split uprights while Butker missed countless tries.

Hindsight is hindsight, but at the time, Gano was not just the right call, he was the easy call. https://t.co/2B4zvDekkt

— Josh Klein (@joshkleinrules) February 12, 2024

The 2017 version of the Panthers' is the best version of the team post 2015. Cam Newton was healthy and playing at a high level, the defense was nasty, Christian McCaffrey gave the offense a spark. It was all coalesced into a team that was a tiebreaker away from hosting a playoff game. 

When Carolina kicked off the 2017 season, Graham Gano was the right choice. The Florida State alum made the Pro Bowl in 2017, and set the NFL record for the longest kick in postseason history in the Wild Card round against New Orleans. 

So much ink in football media is spilled discussing offense vs. defense, but special teams decided games just as much. 

The 2010 San Diego Chargers had the league's number one offense and number one defense, but failed to make the playoffs due to sporting the league's worst special teams. 

Last night, with the clock winding down, Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs on an 11 play, 64 yard drive that ended in a Butker field goal to send the game to overtime. San Francisco should have been up by four, meaning Kansas City should have needed a touchdown, but 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody had an extra point blocked earlier in the game. 

Butker has grown and developed into an all-time great. His 89.1 field goal percentage is good for second all-time. There are valid complaints about using a valuable draft pick on Butker, signing him to a four-year deal, and leaving him on the practice squad, but that's a different conversation.

Complain all you want about decisions Carolina has made, but choosing Gano over Butker was not a bad one.