Kickers don’t make the headlines unless they do something really good or something really bad. Carolina Panthers’ placekicker Eddy Pineiro experienced the latter October 30, 2022. Trailing by six points in the closing seconds of a division game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium, quarterback PJ Walker connected with wide receiver DJ Moore on a miraculous 62 yard touchdown – tying the game at 34 points with 12 seconds remaining on the clock. All Carolina needed to leave victorious was Eddy Pineiro to successfully make the extra point attempt that was 48 yards instead of the typical 33-yards due to a controversial unsportsmanlike penalty assessed against Moore after celebrating the score.
Pineiro missed.
During overtime on 2nd and 10 with the ball at the Atlanta 27, cornerback CJ Henderson intercepted Falcons’ quarterback Marcus Mariota’s deep pass attempt to Damiere Bryd at the Carolina 26th – returning it to the 20 before being pushed out of bounds. Three rushing plays later Pineiro was back on the field with an opportunity to redeem himself by making a game-winning 32-yard FD.
Wide left. Pineiro missed AGAIN.
The Falcons go on to win on a walk-off 41 yard field goal by Atlanta place kicker Younghoe Koo and the Panthers would eventually miss the playoffs by one game…
Since his performance that day Pineiro has made 44 of 48 field goal attempts, 35 of 39 extra point attempts and is currently the 3rd most accurate kicker in league history with at least 100 kicks (behind Baltimore’s Justin Tucker and Kansas City’s Harrison Butker).
But many fans around the Carolinas still only remember him for one game and two missed kicks.
Pineiro, who has been away from the team during voluntary OTA’s, attended mandatory minicamp this past week, but would not discuss the reason for his absence.
“My decision on that is private, between me and the Panthers,” Pineiro said when asked why he has been absent from the team.
Although he wouldn’t confirm it Eddy, who is ranked 21st in kicker salaries in the league, wants more money – and that’s understandable. In NFL you have to get the bag while you can. But during the draft the Panthers took out an insurance policy in the form UDFA kicker Harrison Mevis, a first team All-American at Mizzou who finished his career 99% in extra point made percentage and 84% in field goal made percentage – including a 61-yarder against Kansas State, breaking the SEC record for longest field goal make.
With those stats and how well he’s kicked during OTA’s, Panthers fans, who have yet to rinse the taste of that game in Atlanta out of their mouths, have already embraced Mevis. They haven’t forgiven Pineiro, but should they?
Either way, the competition at kicker during training camp will certainly be one of the closest watched.