He Didn't Come Cheap
'The Great Panthers Punter Search of 2016' ended Monday when Carolina sent Cleveland Kasey Redfern and a 2018 fourth-round pick in exchange for 3-time Pro Bowler Andy Lee and a 2017 seventh-round pick.
Yeah, not only was it a rare punter swamp, but the Panthers gave up a future fourth-rounder. That's a hefty price for a punter.
He's Not Cheap
Lee, who signed a 6-year, $20.2 million extension with the 49ers in 2012, is still owed $10.4 million over the next three seasons.
The Panthers didn't want to give Brad Nortman what he was asking for this spring, but the 4-year, $8.8 million dollar deal he signed in Jacksonville would be a bargain compared to what Lee's getting.
His Second Trade in 14 Months
After San Francisco had taken Lee in the sixth round of the 2004 draft, he was the longest-tenured 49er until June 2015. That's when he was traded to the Browns for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2017.
Lee was made expendable in San Francisco by fifth-round pick Bradley Pinion, a North Carolina native who ironically was the Panthers' "Punt, Pass & Kick" winner in 2007 and 2008.
Despite Age, He Can Still Boot It
Lee turned 34 this month. But last season — his 12th in the league — he set Browns' single-season records with a 46.7-yard gross average and a 40.1-yard net average.
Among all-time stats: Lee is sixth in gross punting average (46.2), eighth in net average (39.5) and ninth in punts inside the 20 (325).
He Got In Trouble Friday
Browns coach Hue Jackson wasn't pleased with Lee's effort on this preseason play in Tampa:
There's nobody there!@adamhumphries13 takes the punt back 73 yards TO THE HOUSE! #CLEvsTB https://t.co/eLe5ZyPixY
— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2016
He's Coming Home
Lee and his wife, Rachel, are both from South Carolina. He grew up in Westminster. She's from Columbia. They already have a permanent home in Charlotte where they're raising their two sons.
He'll Likely Wear No. 8
The Lees had a daughter, Madelyn, in January 2015. But after developing an infection, she passed away just eight days later.
Lee embraced those days when he switched to No. 8 from No. 4, which he wore his first 11 seasons.
Before Monday's trade, the Panthers didn't have a No. 8 on their roster.
Read about Madelyn's Fund.
I understand Lee’s value, though the cost is debatable. My first question is why we didn’t keep Redfern who performed fairly well, despite is inexperience?
Good move here by Gettleman. Nortman was always unpredictable and inconsistent, thus, not worth the contract he signed. The “young bucks” we’ve tried out either straight up sucked, or were equally as inconsistent. Considering they were doing that in preseason, it didn’t bode well, as the pressure they will face during the regular season will be greater and have larger implications. That’s not a position to play around with. A 2018 4th rounder isn’t that big of a deal.
Hope this guy is worth it… especially considering two teams have willingly parted ways with him in less than a year and a half.
But one of the two teams were the Browns. We can rest assured that they don’t make good decisions
Hard to judge this one. I think they underestimated the cost of a reliable punter in letting Nortman leave. I’m not overly impressed that Lee was in pro bowls. Crappy teams always have all pro punters, as they get so many more opportunities to punt. Redfern out kicked the coverage and that can be worse than a shank. Considering the home run or strike out nature of our offense it makes sense to “punt” on this position battle.
Spent the morning reading up on Lee, as he wasn’t a player I was familiar with. Both Browns and 49er fans online are saying he’s not just the best punter their team has ever had, but a tremendous high-character guy and great locker room presence. Sounds like a Panthers-type guy for sure. I’m very happy with the trade. A 4th rounder is steep, but those mid-round picks are often hit or miss. We should have a good half-decade out of this guy playing at a pro-bowl level, right in Luke and Cam’s prime years. Absolutely worth it IMO.