Unrestricted free agency couldn’t come any sooner for Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn.
After expecting to play a prominent role in the team’s defensive game plan in the 2023 season, Chinn to a backseat, appearing in 12 games and starting only eight – a career low.
To add to Chinn’s down season, he only played in 39 percent of defensive snaps, adding insult to injury. The sporadic play surprised Chinn, who was looking to prove himself and earn a hefty payday heading into a second contract.
“I think that was really the most frustrating part for me personally,” Chinn said via Schuyler Callihan of All Panthers. “Coming into this season, I thought I wasn’t going to come off the field. I thought I was going to have a huge role in this defense and be able to leave a large impact. But you know, as the season goes on, things change. It definitely was a surprise the way things ended up panning out.”
Chinn’s experience, the lack of communication and set expectations, isn’t a new experience for players with the franchise.
This is the same franchise that unceremoniously cut Cam Newton only to bring him back for a handful of games a season later.
The Panthers have a few marquee names hitting free agency. One of those players is Brian Burns, who also slogged through a down year on for what was a productive season for the Panthers’ defense.
With the Panthers looking to retool the team on the fly in the 2024 offseason, it already sounds like Chinn has his eyes on greener pastures.
