Running back Jonathan Stewart has been cut by the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Stewart, 31 in March, has spent all ten of his NFL seasons in Carolina. 
Stewart first entered the league as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Panthers. He wasn’t necessarily a superstar, but he has had a long and productive career in black and blue. In 2009, Stewart ran for 1,133 yards and ten touchdowns. In 2011, he managed to top that season in terms of efficiency with a career 5.4 yards per carry. After dealing with some injuries, Stewart nearly got his second career 1,000 yard season in 2015. He missed the mark by 11 yards as he missed three regular season games, but he did earn his first career Pro Bowl selection that year.
The Panthers inked Stewart to a one-year extension last offseason. Per the terms of the deal, the Panthers will have $3.72MM by cutting him with $1.5MM in dead money against the cap. Stewart’s release, along with this week’s cuts of safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson, will create some much needed flexibility for the Panthers this offseason.
Stewart’s role was downsized a bit last year with the addition of rookie running back Christian McCaffrey. Stewart was unable to deliver as a complementary piece, turning in a career low 3.4 yards per carry average. He didn’t factor much into the passing game either with just eight receptions for 52 yards.
Finally! This was like 5 years overdue. Not kidding, this guy hasn’t been an effective runner in quite a while. Great 2nd back but as a starter I don’t know how the Panthers were able to tolerate it for so long.
Thanks for your time in Carolina J-Stew. One of the greats in Panthers history.
Greats?? He was good but great? Come on.
Well I’m Panthers history you may be right. Not much of a history