Zane Gonzalez saw his season end before it began, with a groin injury while warming up during the final preseason game. The Panthers signed Eddy Piñeiro, who earned the job beyond 2022.
The Panthers announced a two-year contract agreement with Piñeiro on Thursday, ending Gonzalez’s time in Carolina.
Piñeiro finished the year with a 94.3 field goal percentage (33-of-35) and a 93.8 percent (30-of-32) clip on extra points.
Piñeiro’s 33 made field goals in 2022 rank second in Panthers’ history for a single season, behind 37 from longtime kicker John Kasay in 1996. His field goal percentage was the second-best in a single season among Panthers’ kickers with at least 30 attempts.
Gonzalez is recovering from his second injury since he signed with the team in 2021. He injured a quad on the sidelines of a Week 16 game against Buffalo in 2021.
He made 20 of his 22 field goal attempts in 12 games of the 2021 season (90.9 percent) and went 22-of-23 (95.7 percent) on extra points.