A'Shawn Robinson chose the Panthers for a simpler reason than most expected

There is always some complicated reason a key free agent signing chose the team they did. 

Unless that free agent signing is veteran defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson. 

On Wednesday, when speaking to reporters for the first time, Robinson pulled back the curtains on why he chose Charlotte to be his next home. 

“Why not?” he said. “It’s a great scheme, a great team, great city. I love the south, comin’ from Alabama. It feels like home. But coming to this scheme, I feel like it fits me perfectly.”

He isn't the first player to be discussing scheme fit as one of the reasons he chose to play for the Panthers. Recently, former Denver Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell said he joined the Panthers for the coaching staff the team boasts. 

“For me, it was the coaches," Jewell said. "Wanted some familiarity and I felt like I played my best ball under them.”

For Robinson, Carolina made perfect sense. The defensive player personnel saw an overhaul during free agency. Carolina traded away Brian Burns, the Pro Bowl-caliber outside linebacker. 

For now, the defensive line will need some help to get off the ground at the start of the 2024 season – making sense of why the Panthers gave Robinson a three-year, $22.5 million deal.

It also helps that the Panthers hung on to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who was also instrumental in landing Robinson in the first place. 

"Knowing the coaches, them knowing how I play and me knowing how they operate and how they want things done," Robinson said, "I think that was very important to me. I know that they’re honest and they’re real about everything, and they want guys to be on point and honest and real about everything that goes on."