Justin Strnad Backs Out of Deal With Panthers
Talk about a 180.
On Tuesday evening, reports across the NFL Twitter-sphere surfaced that Justin Strnad had agreed to a deal with the Carolina Panthers. Strnad projected to be a depth piece on Ejiro Evero's defense (the two worked together for a year in Denver) and a key contributor on special teams. He didn't play a single snap on defense in 2023, but led the Broncos in special teams snaps. The Wake Forest product started five games in his three year career, all during his rookie season in 2021.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, Strnad backed out of his agreement with Carolina and decided to return to Denver on a one year deal. No contract had been signed, so Strnad was able to back out of the handshake agreement with no consequence, but it is an odd happening.
Strnad is the second player to renege on a deal with an opposing team and return to Denver. Kicker Will Lutz had agreed to a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, only to back out of that agreement to return as Denver's kicker for the next two seasons.
Questions will arise about Denver's negotiating tactics. More often than not these handshake agreements between teams and players only fall through due to a failed physical, not a last second Hail Mary from an incumbent team. Time will tell if the NFL will look into these last second free agency flips, but for now, Carolina will miss out on a potential special teams stud.
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