PER PANTHERS PR:
Running back Jonathan Stewart has signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Stewart played 10 seasons in Carolina (2008-17) after being selected by the Panthers in the first round (13th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He played the final season (2018) of his career with the New York Giants.
Stewart retires as the Panthers all-time leader in rushing yards (7,318), rushing first downs (368) and rushing attempts (1,699). His 16 career games of 100+ rushing yards rank second in franchise history, and his 58 total touchdowns are tied for the second most ever by a Panther. The Panthers finished with a top-10 ranked rushing offense seven times in his 10 seasons with the team.
As a rookie in 2008, Stewart set franchise rookie records for the most rushing yards (836) and rushing touchdowns (10). That season, he combined with DeAngelo Williams to lead all NFL running back duos with 2,351 rushing yards, the most by any duo since 1984.
Stewart led the Panthers with a career-high 1,133 rushing yards in 2009, as he and Williams (1,117 yards) became the first set of teammates in NFL history to each rush for more than 1,100 yards in the same season.
In 2011, Stewart was part of a Carolina rushing attack that featured the first trio of teammates to rush for more than 700 yards each in a single season. Stewart tallied 761 yards, Williams recorded 836 yards and Cam Newton posted 706 yards.
Stewart earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 as he rushed for a team-high 989 yards, despite missing three games. He was a key member of an offense that led the NFL with a franchise-record 500 points scored and 59 touchdowns as the team won the NFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl 50.
In his 11-year career, Stewart played in 134 regular season games with 64 starts. He recorded 7,335 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns on 1,705 rushes. He caught 162 passes for 1,295 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.