Former Carolina Panthers’ defensive end Charles Johnson is closing the curtains on his NFL career. After 11 years in the league, Johnson announced his retirement from professional football. The 32-year-old was without a job since February 2018, when he was released by Panthers.
Once a Panther, always a Panther. pic.twitter.com/jl2sfuZSS9
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 22, 2018
Charles Johnson identifies the back-surgery in 2017 as one of the reasons for retirement.
“Once you have back surgery, I don’t care who you are, it’s a beast to get back,” – Johnson told Panthers’ official website. “My body was just… I haven’t worked out since this winter. I tried to get motivated to work out, and my body said, ‘We’re not working out right now.’ It was about that time.“
After the surgery, Johnson played 12 regular season games, but didn’t manage to make a strong impression and finished the season without a single sack for the first time since his rookie year.
When asked about the way he wants to be remembered, Johnson said: “Loyal. Hard-working. A Panther all the way through. The Panthers were all I knew and all I ever wanted to know.“
After getting drafted in the third round of 2007 draft, Charles Johnson went on to become one of the most prolific defenders in Panthers’ history. His 67.5 career sacks and 20 career-forced fumbles are second-most in the franchise’s history after Julius Peppers’ 154.5 sacks and 32 forced fumbles. Johnson also had 211 quarterback pressures and 74 tackles for loss, which are most in the franchise’s history.
