By most standards 70 receptions for 800 plus yards in a single season is an impressive stat line for any wide receiver in the NFL. Unfortunately it wasn't impressive enough for former first round pick Keyshawn Johnson to keep his job with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers shocked a lot of people on Tuesday afternoon by announcing that the 11 year veteran, despite his production, was being released by the Panther's organization.
Keyshawn Johnson is no stranger to the media; his bravado is as well documented as his success on the field and given the Panther's offensive woes last year it seems rather strange that the organization would cut ties with their second most productive receiver. Johnson most recently worked as a draft day analyst for ESPN and made a couple of comments that may have lead to his eventual release. Johnson made some disparaging comments about former back up quarterback Chris Weinke and the lack of a consistent option at the third receiver spot. Johnson also spoke with the Panther's first, second round pick Dwayne Jarrett. Jarrett is a near physical replica of Johnson and plays a similar style of football, it's also no coincidence that they were both stand out wide receivers at The University of Southern California.
Johnson went on record earlier in the year and made it known that he did not think Jarrett was NFL ready yet, but Jarrett decided to forge his own path and declare for the NFL Draft at the conclusion of his junior campaign, he had one year of eligibility remaining. As the Panthers announced the selection of Dwayne Jarrett the camera became fixated on a somewhat bizarre conversation taking place via cell phone between the two former elite Trojan receivers. Keyshawn emphatically claimed that he would mentor Jarrett and "carry you under my wing." The Panthers might have taken exception to those comments given Johnson's propensity for being self centered and historically a less than ideal teammate, perhaps they didn't want to deal with two egotistical receivers. Maybe they didn't want Keyshawn's lack of accountability to rub off on the young, impressionable prospect.
Carolina Panther's General Manager Marty Hurney has repeatedly said that Johnson's release was strictly a "football" decision. What does that mean? Most fans were left asking the same question, but Hurney told several media outlets that the Panthers wanted to get younger at the receiver position. He denied that any other factors played a role in the organization's decision. He stated that Johnson "did everything he was asked to" and concluded that it wasn't a money issue either. Hurney did state that Keyshawn's job would have been safe had the Panthers not drafted Jarrett who was not expected to slip to the Panther's selection in the second round.
The Panthers still owe Johnson 3.75 million dollars for his initial signing bonus with the organization and that must be paid by the end of the 2008 season. The team can chose to absorb all of that cost this year, or spread it out over the course of the next two seasons. Neither the real reason, nor all the reasons will likely be known by those outside of the Panther's organization, fan's will be left to speculate among themselves and wonder why the 1st overall pick in the 1996 draft was let go. Johnson, 34, has played 11 NFL seasons with the New York Jets, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Carolina. He is tied for 15th place all-time in NFL history with 814 catches for 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns.
The Panther's fans can do little more than keep the faith in their team's front office as they try to rebound from a very disappointing 2006 season. Instead of two veteran wide receivers and one of the best receiving duo's in the league the Panthers will have to place their trust in several unproven prospects and hope they can carry the load as the Panthers try to get back to their championship form from 2005.
