Big Cat Stays: Johnson agrees with Carolina via (@GetLiftedMedia)

July 27, 2011 0

Charles-Johnson Big Cat Stays: Johnson agrees with Carolina via (@GetLiftedMedia)
Before things start to slip and the free-agent frenzy has teams scrambling to make deals and trades, the Carolina Panthers decided to take care of home by any means necessary.

Late last night the Carolina Panthers and their highly valued defensive end Charles Johnson have agreed to a six year $72 million deal with a $30 million signing bonus. Wow! After all Johnson did have a break out season for the Panthers in 2010 recording 11.5 sacks in his first year as a starter. Johnson replaced pro-bowl DE Julius Peppers who played his first season with the Chicago Bears in 2010.

“Could you have turned that down” Johnson stated with a smile about the $72 million dollar deal. “The Panthers told me the whole time they were going to come after me hard, and they did” Johnson added.

With a new head coach in defensive guru Ron Rivera and a possible new starter at quarterback with first overall pick Cam Newton, Carolina needed to maintain some veteran experience in the locker room. They made the offer to lock up one piece of the puzzle. Under new league rules Johnson can not report to camp until August 4.

© 2011, . All rights reserved.