CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jonathan Stewart, the leading rusher in Carolina franchise history, has signed a one-day contract to retire as a Panther.
Stewart spent the majority of his career in Charlotte -- he carried the ball six times for the New York Giants in 2018 before being placed on injured reserve.
During his 10 seasons as a Panther, Stewart totaled 7,318 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He also added 162 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stewart was selected by Carolina with the 13th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon.
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Stewart rushed for 836 yards as a rookie, and followed that up with 1,133 rushing yards, while scoring 10 rushing touchdowns for the second consecutive year.
Paired with DeAngelo Williams, the dynamic duo became the first teammates in NFL history to both top 1,100 rushing yards in the same season.
Stewart was selected to the Pro Bowl that year.
Injuries sidelined Stewart for significant portions of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but from 2014-2017 he was the club’s top running back, passing Williams for the franchise’s all-time mark in 2017 during a Week 4 victory at New England.
Stewart also ranks as the franchise leader in playoff rushing yards with 474 and in playoff rushing touchdowns with five.
Stewart scored the team’s lone touchdown in Super Bowl 50.