The Titans will have a new punter in 2025.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they have agreed to terms on a contract with Johnny Hekker. It will be a one-year pact between the team and the four-time All-Pro.
The move reunites Hekker with Titans special teams coordinator John Fassel. Fassel had the same job with the Rams while Hekker was punting for the team from 2012 to 2019.
Hekker spent the last three seasons with the Panthers and averaged 42.7 net yards per kick. Carolina is set to sign Sam Martin to take over the role.
With Hekker joining the Titans, Ryan Stonehouse will be moving on. Stonehouse tweeted a goodbye message to Titans fans on Tuesday and he won’t be tendered as a restricted free agent before Wednesday’s start to the new league year.
Veteran punter Sam Martin has quickly found his new NFL team.
Martin, who was cut by the Bills last week, signed with the Panthers today. Martin’s agent told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that it’s a one-year contract.
The 35-year-old Martin is heading into his 13th NFL season. He was a fifth-round pick of the Lions in 2013 and spent seven seasons in Detroit. He then spent two years in Denver and three in Buffalo.
Last year Martin averaged 46.7 yards per punt and had 25 punts inside the 20-yard line, with five touchbacks.
The Panthers are moving on from running back Miles Sanders.
Carolina announced on Tuesday that Sanders has been cut.
The 27-year-old Sanders signed a four-year, $25.4 millino contract with the Panthers two years ago, but he never contributed at the level the Panthers were hoping for. In two seasons in Carolina he totaled 184 carries for 637 yards and three touchdowns.
Sanders’ best season came in 2022 with the Eagles, when he had 259 carries for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Now he’ll hope some team thinks he can return to that form, despite his disappointing stint in Carolina.
The Raiders have agreed to terms with free agent defensive back Lonnie Johnson, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. He adds depth in the secondary and is a core special teams player.
The Raiders lost cornerback Nate Hobbs to the Packers earlier in the day.
Johnson spent last season with the Panthers, where he played 15 games with one start. He saw action on 13 defensive snaps and 339 on special teams.
Johnson made seven tackles last season.
The Texans drafted Johnson in the second round in 2019, and he appeared in 44 games with 19 starts in his three seasons with the team. He then went to Tennessee for one year, New Orleans for one year and Carolina for one year.
In his career, Johnson has recorded 199 tackles, four interceptions and 155 passes defensed.
The Panthers and cornerback Mike Jackson are running it back.
Jackson joined the Panthers for the 2024 season and the team announced that he has agreed to a new contract on Monday. Reports indicate that it is a two-year, $14.5 million deal for Jackson.
The Panthers acquired Jackson in a trade with the Seahawks and he started all 17 games during his first season in Carolina. He had 76 tackles, two interceptions, and 17 passes defensed in those appearances.
The Panthers also signed Jaycee Horn to a four-year extension on Monday, so they will be set at the top of the cornerback depth chart for the next couple of years if all plays out as hoped.
