Eighteen years after signing his first contract with the Carolina Panthers, John Kasay has once again signed with the team.
This time it is a one-day contract as Kasay, who spent 16 seasons with Carolina, retires as a Panther.
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"When we came to Charlotte, our oldest son was about six weeks old," Kasay said. "To be able to watch your family grow, not only in number, but also in stature, it gives us a long range perspective on as blessed as we were and have been by Mr. Richardson to be able to come live in this community, this city, and really the North Carolina and South Carolina region that has been so good to our family and has given way more to us than we've ever given back."
Kasay retires from the NFL after one of the most productive careers in league history. He is sixth in NFL history for most field goals made (461) and attempted (563) as well as fifth in career field goal percentage (81.9 percent; minimum 500 attempts) and eighth in points scored (1,970). His 42 career field goals of 50-or-more yards are tied for second in NFL history. Kasay's records take on added meaning since three quarters of his career were spent kicking for Carolina, where all home games are played outdoors.
Kasay spent his 21-year NFL career with three teams: the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Seahawks, Kasay signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Panthers in 1995 where he played for 15 seasons before completing his career with the Saints in 2011.
The holder of more than 20 team records, Kasay played in a team record 221 games as a Panther, 54 more than Steve Smith who stands second. Kasay is the franchise leader in points scored (1,482) and holds nearly every major kicking record in team annals, including field goals made (351) and PATs made (429). He was known as a clutch kicker throughout his career, converting 11 game-winning field goals for the Panthers.
