Return of Luvu: Special Teams Ace Inks New Deal
The Panthers have their first notable signing of this offseason, retaining former Jets linebacker Frankie Luvu on a two-year deal. Charlotte beat reporter Joe Person tweeted out the following about the extension early Thursday afternoon:
It's a two-year, $9 million deal for Frankie Luvu, who will make $5M this year, per league source.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) February 17, 2022
Albeit a small sample size, Luvu showed up in big moments. Week 17 was a dominant game for him, having nine tackles (three of them being tackles-for-loss). Over the course of the 2021 campaign, he recorded 43 total tackles, 1 PD, 1 FF, 3 FR, 1.5 sacks, and 8 TFLs.
With Luvu locked in for the next two seasons, this could signal Haason Reddick leaving for bigger money and more playing time for the hybrid linebacker. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow mentioned wanting to get bigger on the edge. Our defense struggled setting the edge in the run game due to lighter and lankier players like Brian Burns and Haason Reddick stealing the majority of snaps. Coaches may find that Luvu might be able to fill that role for Reddick, affording more opportunities for a youngster in Yetur Gross-Matos.
We have yet to see anymore deals for the Panthers free agents this offseason aside from LS JJ Jansen. The following players are set to hit free agency (unrestricted free agents):
RB Ameer Abdullah
S Juston Burris
LB Jermaine Carter Jr.
S Sean Chandler
P Lachlan Edwards
WR Alex Erickson
CB Stephon Gilmore
K Zane Gonzalez
DE Marquis Haynes Sr.
CB Donte Jackson
DT DaQuan Jones
CB Rashaan Melvin
G John Miller
QB Cam Newton
C Matt Paradis
OLB Haason Reddick
T Trent Scott
LB Julian Stanford
TE Ian Thomas
WR Brandon Zylstra
Stay tuned for upcoming Panthers news! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.