NFL Cap Management - Panther Style
You are an NFL General manager and you have decided that your team needs to get younger. It is a very common refrain, sort of a code word for rebuilding year, without scaring away the season ticket holders. Cutting veterans saves cap money and allows cheaper alternatives with hopefully similar production. Such is life in the NFL.
But what if you paid a veteran a $3 million roster bonus last month. You would keep him, correct? Not if you were the Carolina Panthers.
Veteran wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was released by the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday, the St. Petersburg Times reported.
"They said they wanted to get younger," Johnson told the newspaper. "That's fine with me. I'd like to go somewhere and help someone win another Super Bowl."
The move came a month after the Panthers paid Johnson a $3 million roster bonus.
While Johnson spent last weekend working for ESPN as part of the network's NFL draft coverage, he told the newspaper he would like to continue his playing career.
Johnson, 34, has 814 receptions for 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns over an 11-year career. In 2006 he caught 70 passes for 815 yards and four TDs.
If he doesn't catch on with a team, look for more Meshawn coming to a TV near you.
