Running Back Jonathan Stewart signs a five-year contract extension with Carolina Panthers – NFL News
After all the offseason woes, running back Jonathan Stewart has finally signed a new five-year deal with his current team Carolina Panthers.
The deal is reportedly worth $36.5 million out of which $22.5 million are guaranteed. It could yield out a maximum of $42.5 million through bonuses and various other clauses.
Before getting this deal, Stewart was to play out the final year of his contract this season. The new deal will keep him till 2017.
Panthers’ general manager Marty Hurney was pleased to get this deal done before the start of the season. In a statement, Hurney said:
"We are thrilled to be able to extend Jonathan for five additional years. He is a perfect fit for our organization. He is a playmaker who can make the difference in games and we have seen the impact he and DeAngelo Williams have had on our team.”
Stewart himself has expressed pleasure in getting a long-term deal with Panthers. The deal means that he will play alongside DeAngelo Williams in a “Double Trouble” team for many more years to come. Talking to the Associated Press, Stewart said:
"We have a group of guys that understand the team aspect of winning football games. That is ultimately what I want to do. I want to be on a good team, and this is a good team. We got a lot of good guys.”
Throughout this offseason, there had been many rumours about various trades that Panthers were looking to have for Stewart.
This was mainly because Panthers have players like Williams and Mike Tolbert who can play good running game even in absence of Stewart. They also have a quality quarterback who can also rush when needed.
Williams is also under a five-year, $ 43 million deal which signed last year. He is currently one of the highest paid running backs in the league.
Stewart is Panthers’ second-highest pass rusher with more than 3,500 rushing yards. He will start his fifth year in the league this season.
Last season, Steward rushed for 761 yards and got four touchdowns. He was drafted by Panthers in the first round (13th overall pick) of the 2008 draft.
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