CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charles Johnson was as relaxed as he had been in years. The pressure the defensive end felt since being nicknamed "Big Money" after signing a six-year, $76 million extension with the Carolina Panthers in 2011 was gone.
Not even Johnson knew how much the pressure was getting to him.
Until, that is, he agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal to re-sign with the Carolina team that cut him a month earlier to clear $11 million under the salary cap.
"It's just play ball, instead of have all that extra stuff," Johnson told ESPN.