Eddy Pineiro free agency: Should the Panthers bring back the embattled kicker?
![Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (4) misses a field goal in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (4) misses a field goal in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6492,h_3651,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_panthers/01jj4w74xn2gytg7f5as.jpg)
The Carolina Panthers have some key special team free agents to look at this offseason. Long-snapper JJ Jansen, holder/punter Johnny Hekker, and kicker Eddy Pineiro are all entering free agency, potentially leaving the Panthers without every single key member of their field goal unit.
The team has less than $25 million in cap space right now. That's not ideal for a team with so many holes and so many potentially outgoing free agents. Pineiro is one that has to be re-signed or replaced with someone as good or better since kicking is such a vital part of the game. What should the Panthers do?
Should the Panthers re-sign Eddy Pineiro?
For a very brief window, Eddy Pineiro became the NFL's all-time most accurate kicker. Justin Tucker's struggles opened the door, and Pineiro, who had way fewer attempts, walked through. Shortly thereafter, things fell off the rails. He didn't directly cost the Panthers games with a failed tying or winning kick, but he did impact the outcome.
Pineiro missed several kicks down the stretch. In a home overtime loss, he missed multiple kicks that would have totally changed the outcome of the game. He was pretty unreliable on almost any kick in the last couple of months. He wasn't horrible, but he provided enough concern that moving on is now warranted.
Pineiro won't cost a ton, but neither would someone else. It's unlikely the Panthers draft a kicker, but it is very likely that someone else is taking field goals next year. Kickers are almost all journeymen by nature and don't stay with one team for too long, and Pineiro's time in Charlotte is probably up. The cost won't change much no matter who the Panthers sign, so they need to let him walk.
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