Charles Johnson Returns On One-Year Deal

Statement from the Panthers website.

CHARLOTTE – For six days, Charles Johnson was a defensive end without a team.

After nine seasons with the Panthers, he had been released. He fielded offers from several teams and visited the Giants and Buccaneers.

"It was awkward, weird, new. It was an experience," Johnson said. "The whole time everyone is like, 'Are you leaving? Are you not leaving?'

"I was just sitting back observing everybody and getting some entertainment out of it."

All along, Johnson knew there was a strong possibility he would return to Carolina, the team that drafted him in the third round in 2007.

"I talked with (general manager) Dave Gettleman and Coach Rivera about what I wanted to do, and I already had my mind made up," He said. "But I had to see the other situations for myself and go through the process."

In that process, he almost became a Giant. They made a compelling offer, and Johnson was impressed with what he called a "first-class organization."

But a conversation with New York general manager Jerry Reese flipped a switch for Johnson. He asked Reese if he would leave his post in New York if another club offered more money.

"He started as an intern and now he’s the GM for the Giants. He saw everything that happened – championships and all that. He said he wouldn’t trade that for the world," Johnson said. "When he said that, I just thought to myself, ‘I’ve been here the longest. And all I’ve asked for is an opportunity. So how can I turn away from my team and the family that’s in Charlotte – how can I turn away?’

"That overweighed everything. I wanted to be happy, and I literally couldn’t imagine signing with them. This place raised me."

So Johnson came back. He signed a team-friendly one-year contract with the Panthers, reportedly accepting half of what he could have earned elsewhere.

"It was hard, but at least they can’t call me ‘Big Money’ anymore," Johnson said with a laugh. "They have to retire that. I’m ‘Small Money’ now."

Gettleman met Johnson with a big hug after he put pen to paper. The two of them shared a few laughs.

"In these situations, you always want to be in a win-win – he wins and we win," Gettleman said. "It was important that we give Charles that opportunity. At the end of the day, when you sign a contract, you want to walk away happy. You just saw the smile on his face."

Johnson, who ranks second in team history with 63.5 sacks, knows what it means to be happy in the NFL. He signed an extremely lucrative contract in 2011, making him one of the highest paid defensive linemen in the league.

But Johnson hadn’t experienced much team success at that point. In fact, Carolina was coming off a 2-14 season before he signed that deal in 2011.

"I’ve seen it at its worst. I’ve been here when it’s at its worst," Johnson said.

And he battled to change it. The Panthers have won three consecutive NFC South titles and are coming off the second Super Bowl appearance in team history.

That’s tough to walk away from when you have worked tirelessly to help lay that foundation for success.

"Once you put all that energy into it, I feel like I would have been wasting all that work had I gone somewhere else for some dollars," Johnson said. "I’d rather be happy doing what I’m doing around people that I know, and I’m comfortable with."

Yes, Johnson is comfortable in Carolina, but he feels he has a lot to prove.

He missed seven games with a hamstring injury last season and posted just one sack, the lowest output since his rookie year.

For Johnson and the Panthers, there is unfinished business to tend to in 2016.

"I didn’t want to leave Carolina with that type of season that I had," Johnson said. "I want to prove myself, really. My ego is telling me that I have to prove myself to my teammates. I want to be at that high level that I’ve played at. I’m definitely coming out with some vengeance next year."

Panthers Release Charles Johnson

Statement from the Panthers website.

CHARLOTTE -- The Panthers have released veteran defensive end Charles Johnson.

"Charles was an impact player for the Carolina Panthers for a long time, both on and off the field," general manager Dave Gettleman said. "His statistics speak for themselves, and as a team captain he led the way you want your leaders to lead – by example. I wish him the best moving forward."

Johnson started nine games for Carolina in 2015, missing seven games while on the injured reserve/designated to return list with a hamstring injury. He recorded one sack in the regular season. He started all three postseason games for the Panthers, recording three sacks.

"Charles has had a very good career as a Carolina Panther, and I've enjoyed coaching him the past five seasons," head coach Ron Rivera said. "Charles fought through adversity with his injury last season and set a great example for our locker room as a captain. I have a great deal of respect for Charles as a player and a person and thank him for all the contributions he has made to this team."

A veteran of nine NFL seasons, all with the Panthers, Johnson leaves Carolina with 63.5 sacks, the second-most in franchise history behind Julius Peppers' 81 from 2002-09. His 17 forced fumbles also rank second in team history. He recorded at least nine sacks in four consecutive years from 2010-13, a feat no other Panther has accomplished. He is one of three players in franchise history to have 10 or more sacks in at least three seasons after collecting 11.5 in 2010, a career-high 12.5 in 2012 and 11.0 in 2013.


Johnson entered the NFL from the University of Georgia as a third-round selection of Carolina in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played in 118 regular season games for the Panthers, the third-most among a defensive lineman in team history behind Mike Rucker's 139 and Julius Peppers' 122.