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Panthers bring back kicker Eddy Piñeiro on two-year contract, release Zane Gonzalez

Carolina Panthers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (4) celebrates with Carolina Panthers punter Johnny Hekker (10) after kicking a field goal during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.

One of the most accurate kickers in the NFL in 2022 is returning to the Carolinas.

Kicker Eddy Piñeiro agreed to a two-year deal with the Panthers on Thursday, a league source confirmed to The Observer. The terms of the agreement were not immediately made available.

In a corresponding move, the Panthers released former starting kicker Zane Gonzalez.

Piñeiro originally signed with the franchise this past August as an injury replacement for Gonzalez. Piñeiro, who was cut by the New York Jets during the summer, got off to a strong start before missing a pair of critical attempts against the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 8 overtime loss.

However, following that letdown performance, Piñeiro made 19 consecutive field-goal attempts — including a season-finale winner against the New Orleans Saints in January. He finished with a 94.3% make rate on his field-goal attempts. That percentage was the league’s top mark for kickers with 30 or more field-goal attempts.

Along with making 33 of his 35 field-goal tries, Piñeiro converted on 30 of his 32 extra-point attempts (93.8%) this past season. Piñeiro — who bounced around the league quite a bit before landing in Carolina — ended up being one of the team’s biggest standout performers under former interim head coach Steve Wilks.

With Piñeiro back in the mix, the Panthers didn’t need to hang onto Gonzalez, who missed the entire 2022 campaign with a leg injury. The Panthers will save $1.45 million on the salary cap by releasing Gonzalez, according to Over The Cap.