Former Carolina Panthers placekicker John Kasay did not stay unemployed for long.
An NFL source told me this Tuesday morning and it was officially announced by the Saints Tuesday afternoon six hours later -- Kasay has officially signed with the Saints to be a placekicker for the team.
Kasay, 41, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Saints have used Garrett Hartley as their primary placekicker for the past three seasons and he has been mostly successful. But Hartley got hurt late in the Saints' 40-20 exhibition win over Oakland late Saturday on an extra point and the Saints went for two after that when they scored on touchdowns. The extent of the injury is unclear, but coach Sean Payton said afterward something to the effect that Hartley had "tweaked his hip."
Depending on the extent of the injury, Kasay's employment with the Saints could be a short- or long-term deal.
Hartley made three field goals of more than 40 yards in the Saints' Super Bowl win and he was 20-for-25 last season, a FG percentage only slightly worse than Kasay's (who has made 82 percent of his FG attempts in his career). However, on at least one occasion in the past the Saints have signed veteran John Carney to take Hartley's place temporarily (before eventually releasing Carney).
The Saints have occasionally kept two kickers on their active roster -- Hartley and Carney -- under coach Sean Payton.
Kasay, who was on the Panthers' roster from their inaugural year of 1995 until being released recently in favor of Olindo Mare, has long had very good success kicking in the New Orleans Superdome. Most all kickers love to kick inside a dome's climate-controlled conditions. He beat the Saints with game-winning field goals in the dome at least twice.
When Kasay was released by the Panthers, he penned a gracious handwritten letter to all Carolina Panther fans and entrusted it to me to publish. This was my column about the letter.
If Hartley doesn't come back quickly from injury, Kasay could kick against his former team, the Panthers, twice a season. The first time would come Oct.9th in Bank of America Stadium, when the Saints visit Charlotte. The Saints open the NFL regular season a week from Thursday -- three days earlier than the rest of the league -- against the Green Bay Packers.
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9 years ago
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42 comments:
Oh, great. Two days after I drafted Garrett Hartley for my fantasy team.
It still makes me sick to my stomach that he's no longer with the Carolina Panthers.
He will be cheered in Charlotte if he returns as a Saint.
Once a Saint, always a Saint.
I wish him nothing but the best for 14 games this year.
At least we're not a threat to be close in score with them at the end only to have him beat us with a FG. I wish him the best!
A class act and a really nice around guy. I doubt he needs the money but probably feels he has a little more in his leg. I will always be a fan.
Say it ain't so!
What a great role model that will truly be missed. I am so thankful for Christian players that give the credit and glory to God. We need more players in the NFL like John. I will be pulling for you no matter who the Saints play.
John is great. Anybody notice Reece Lloyd was the FG kicker for the Giants last night!
hartley tweaked his hip in sunday's game vs oakland. kasay is an insurance policy.
"It still makes me sick to my stomach that he's no longer with the Carolina Panthers."
Whatever! The 41 year old can't consistently kick it into the end zone and the Panthers needed the 53rd roster spot for something other than a second kicker. Grow up, it's a business. There's only so much loyalty. Kasay has millions of dollars in his pockets. If he gets another million to kick field goals for another team, good for him.
It's not like you're married to the kicker or he is married to you; It's a job!
Hope you understand...Morten Andersen
For God's sake don't let him kickoff.
He can't kick it past the 10 yard line, or he'll shank it out of bounds when it matters most.
"For God's sake don't let him kickoff."
Unless you can do better then STFU idiot.
Kasay might have been relieved to leave sensing a 0-16 coming & no chance of bailing them out to win a few with his foot yet never getting any credit.
Only pretenders get credit plus a statue.
well there goes his chance for a statue outside the stadium. cool dude and if i was in his shoes-i could always use the paycheck. good luck Kasay- but only for 14 games.
What's wrong with you people??? Am I the only one that remembers the Super Bowl Shank??? Should have fired his a$$ then!!! He's a great guy, but damn!!!
Fantastic,
wish this story broke yesterday!
i just wasted my 13th round pick on Hartley!
"What's wrong with you people??? Am I the only one that remembers the Super Bowl Shank??? Should have fired his a$$ then!!!"
Shank this mofo. JK lost the SB with 2 missed blocks a rushed snap and 2 blitzing CBs? You a waste of time.
What about SS missed passes for TDs? Didnt Moose drop an easy TD too? Didnt JK kick 3 FGs anyway?
Such stupidity. 4get the males, CP female fans would bitch slap your DUMBASS silly.
This will bring back a sense of deja vu:
October 9th, Bank of America Stadium, 6 seconds left in the 4th quarter with scores tied at 17.
45 yard field goal attempt: Snapper Jason Kyle, Kicker John Kasay.....
Right through the Middle...Game Over
Same teams, same cast, only Kasay will look much better wearing Black and Gold. The Saints do have better looking jerseys than us, thats for sure.
Thanks for the memories, John.
better than the black one??? i respectfully disagree. I'll give you the white one.
I guess the all knowing invisible kicker in the sky told him to go kick for the Saints.
What a traitor!
Love how the Panther fans only remember the bad, not the great that someone does. Kasay was a great Kicker and the idiots fans in NC, who know absolutely nothing about the NFL are giving us NFL fans in other cities a lot to laugh about with the stupidity shown
I like Kasay as a person but let's be real, he cost us a Super Bowl victory.
To all of you stupid idiots who think Kasay cost us the Super Bowl: You have forgotten several blunders. Fox going for 2 when we were down 20-16 after the second TD (Gawd, I HATE that stupid chart that says go for 2 when the margin is this, go for 1 when the margin is that. NO TEAM should EVER go for 2 before there are 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Period.) And of course, when we didn't convert, we had to go for 2 on the third TD to make up for it. And we missed again. If we simply kicked the PAT after that second TD, NE would have done so after their next drive, which would have made it 28-17. Then after we scored the next 2 TDs, we're up 31-28 when Kasay shanks the kickoff, and the subsequent NE drive simply ties the game at 31. Who knows, we could have won the coin flip and NE never gets the ball again.
And no matter where New England started that last drive, they were going to score. I don't care if they started on their own 1 yard line, our defense was useless at that point and a Pop Warner team could have drove the length of the field on us.
JOHN KASAY DID NOT CAUSE THE PANTHERS TO LOSE THE SUPER BOWL. THE WHOLE PANTHERS TEAM COST THE PANTHERS A SUPER BOWL.
Get over it, and don't bring it up again.
Kasay was the ONLY reason they even in the Super Bowl.
It was a huge mistake to let him go - even at the age of 41 he was productive. Class act all the way......
"JOHN KASAY DID NOT CAUSE THE PANTHERS TO LOSE THE SUPER BOWL".....He sure didn't help with the shank and ball on the 40 to Brady & Co. He squibs it deep, no telling but hand the ball to give the ball to Brady on the 40, turn out the lights. It was a crucial blunder at the wrong time.
At last he's with an owner that would have at least had the decency to let him retire rather than fire the last original panther
The Panthers held on to this bible thumping douche way to long!
Thank God he's gone!
todd said...
"At last he's with an owner that would have at least had the decency to let him retire rather than fire the last original panther"
My advice to you Todd is to seek help for your short-term memory. Sure, Benson will let Kasay retire on his own, just like he let me...then I went on to play for 5 other teams because he didn't pay me what I deserved!
When the Saints are done with him, they'll dump him like a load of...
Morten Andersen
"...at least twice".
Why don't you do the work and figure out exactly what the number is?
Panthers to the Saints?
Can you say UPGRADE???
At least NO is now headed back to the SB and JK will win the game & get him a big diamond ring b4 he hangs up his kicking tee for good.
Since he's such a believer in the invisible man in the sky, he can have an invisible statue outside the stadium.
The next time I see that out of shape dough boy I'm going to kick him right in his bible thumping balls.
What an absolute traitor.
Rot in the imaginay hell Casey!
And pray to your imaginary friend in the sky for forgiveness.
My parents always told me that it was better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. I think this statement applies to the written word as well. Some of the hateful and juvenile comments attacking Kasay and his Christianity are indicative of small minds that cannot think of logical, truthful, civil comments. And we wonder why our country is in the shape it is in today. Kasay's manly character, and what he stands for, is of eternal importance. As much as I love football, it is just a temporary game that passes in time.
the desperate saints
Kasay is the devil...
666
He wants to eat your soul
I am so happy he is gone!
AMEN brothers and sisters!
How can any REAL fan of the Panthers wish Kasay anything BUT the best? I wish you the best John.
I am not sure why i am so amazed by all the "haters" out there. It has already been mentioned how much John Kasay did IN that Super Bowl, and i agree with the commenter that mentioned that poor choice of going for 2 points on previous touchdowns, etc. Not to mention all of the games he pulled out in the closing seconds with the game winning kick. The Panthers would not have even been there if not for John Kasay.
He has been an upstanding member AND LEADER of this team, his community, and his family.
In my opinion this changes nothing in regards to how this team needs to honor him. He still belongs in the Ring of Honor, he still deserves that statue alongside McCromick and Mills.
It was a business decision to let #4 go, and it was a personal business decision to sign with the Saints. If you had a leg like his and a team was willing to sign you, wouldn't you want to earn a couple HUNDRED GRAND to kick a football!?!
I say, God Speed John Kasay. Thank you for the memories and the example of how a real man should walk the earth.
This man did more for the CP than any one man in the history of the franchise. I will proudly wear his jersey. Such petty posts about him do no justice to his service to Carolina. 8th in all time NFL scoring and adding to it. God speed John, some of us are loyal fans.
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