Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Panthers released veteran safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson, the team announced Monday, saving Carolina nearly $6 million in salary cap space.
Coleman, 29, played the past three seasons with the Panthers. He had 11 interceptions in that span, tied for fourth-best in the NFL. With Coleman leading the way, the Panthers have had 51 interceptions since 2015, second in the NFL.
Coleman was scheduled to count $5.15 million against the 2018 salary cap, according to reports; releasing him clears $2.65 million in cap space.
Releasing Johnson, meanwhile, clears another $3.25 million in cap space. Johnson, 31, signed a two-year extension last year worth $9.5 million.
Johnson spent 11 seasons with the Panthers after Carolina selected him in the third round of the 2007 draft. He played 143 games for Carolina, the most by any defensive lineman. He ranks second in franchise history with 67½ sacks and 20 forced fumbles.
Johnson was suspended four games last season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancers, and was inactive for the Panthers' playoff game against New Orleans.
___
More AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP\_NFL
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
