Denver Broncos free agent linebacker Justin Strnad agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday, according to a report from The Athletic‘s Joe Person.
That deal would have seen Strnad reunited with former teammate Josey Jewell and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, but after initially making a verbal agreement to join the Panthers, Strnad changed his mind.
Strnad had “a change of heart” and returned to the Broncos on a one-year deal on Tuesday night, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Interestingly, this is not the first time this has happened this offseason.
Last week, kicker Wil Lutz initially agreed to a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the first day of the NFL’s free agency negotiating window. Before making anything official with Jacksonville, Lutz changed his mind and returned to Denver on a two-year deal instead.
Broncos tight end Adam Trautman was also close to joining another team before Denver got him back on a two-year contract, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Broncos coach Sean Payton doesn’t seem to mind letting things go right down to the wire.
Strnad, 27, entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2020. Now entering his fifth season in Denver, Strnad has emerged as a key special teams player for the Broncos. He played 86% of the team’s special teams snaps last season.
We are tracking all of Denver’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.
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