Panthers Veteran Struggles at Minicamp While Rookie Shines
Are there any Panthers fans left who are rooting for Eddy Pineiro?
Pineiro has had a rough offseason as he’s been trying to negotiate with Carolina for a new contract. Meanwhile, rookie kicker Harrison Mevis A.K.A ‘Thiccer Kicker’ is winning over fans all around the league.
The narrative continued to shift in Mevis’s favor at minicamp on Wednesday when Pineiro went 2-for-4 on field goals just a day after Mevis drilled all five of his attempts.
Eddy Pineiro goes 2-4 during team field goal period. He made his last one which was from 50+.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) June 12, 2024
Worth pointing out that this competition is going to go on for a while.
But is the hate on Pineiro going too far?
Pineiro Underrated, But Deserving of Criticism
Pineiro has been excellent during his four-year NFL career with the Bears, Jets and Panthers – making 89 of 100 field-goal attempts.
That 89% mark is the third-best in NFL history for kickers with at least 100 attempts.
He’s never missed a field goal inside 30 yards (19-for-19) and that excellence extends further, as he’s made 34-of-36 career attempts from 30-39 yards as well.
But even though his performance has been impressive, he’s still rubbing fans the wrong way.
Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro wouldn’t comment on his absence from voluntary workouts and if that had to do with wanting a new contract. pic.twitter.com/accUcVJW1a
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) June 12, 2024
It’s difficult for a rebuilding team to justify spending too much money on a kicker, and it’s almost laughable that he’s sat out some offseason workouts to hold out for more money.
The last thing the Panthers need right now is players putting money ahead of fostering a team environment.
And Mevis – a hungry rookie with a fun nickname – is hard not to root for.
Harrison Mevis Makes Eddy Pineiro Expendable
Mevis, a 5-foot-11, 245-pound rookie out of Missouri, is everything you want from a kicker on a team that has longshot odds of making the playoffs.
He’s unproven, but excelling in offseason workouts (5-for-5 for four straight weeks). And it's hard not to love his big leg and fun personality.
For the fourth week in a row Harrison Mevis goes 5-5 on field goals with a long of 57. Eddy Pinero did not kick today.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) June 11, 2024
Mevis’s college stats (89-for-106 on field goals) are close to Pineiro’s in the NFL, and has proven that he can make big kicks of 60-or-more yards.
And when you consider that Mevis is already signed for less than $3 million over the next three seasons, it’s hard to find a reason to pull for Pineiro, who is trying to make that in just one season.
If Mevis continues to outperform Pineiro this offseason, it seems to be only a matter of time before the Panthers move on.
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