The Panthers announced that they’ve re-signed linebacker Ben Jacobs, agreeing to a two-year deal that will keep Jacobs in Carolina through the 2018 campaign. Jacobs was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason.
[RELATED: Panthers Likely To Tag Kawann Short]
Jacobs, 28, played in only three games for the Panthers last season, as he’d been released with an injury settlement before the 2016 season got underway. Re-signed in December, Jacobs went on to see 78 snaps on special teams, an area where’s he contributed in prior seasons. A former undrafted free agent out of Fresno State, Jacobs has never started an NFL contest, but played in all 32 possible games with Carolina from 2014-15, seeing action on nearly three-quarters of the Panthers ST snaps during that period.
Given that he was scheduled to become a restricted free agent, Jacobs likely could have been retained through the tender system at a cost of less than $2MM.