CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers agreed to a four-year contract with place-kicker Graham Gano, the team announced Tuesday.
The team was prepared to use their franchise tag on Gano if a deal couldn't be reached by 4 p.m. Tuesday, the last day teams can use the designation.
The Carolina Panthers opted in 2017 to keep Gano, 30, after drafting Georgia Tech kicker Harrison Butker in the seventh round. The decision was made primarily because of Gano's experience on a team that general manager Marty Hurney thought had a chance to make a Super Bowl run.