During locker clean out, Panthers players talk about team's focus for the next season. By Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez
JJ Jansen, the Carolina Panthers’ all-time leader in games played, is set to step outside his comfort zone this offseason.
The veteran long snapper is trading his helmet — temporarily — for a microphone as he enters the sports media realm. He will serve as an on-air analyst for three Indoor Football League games on FanDuel Sports Network in April and May.
“The opportunity came across as one more step toward calling games and working on the process of teaching the fan the game of football,” Jansen told The Charlotte Observer in a phone interview Tuesday. “And for me, from a personal standpoint, I want to call games. I want to call games in the NFL and in college. But the opportunity for me to do that is pretty limited, obviously during (NFL) season — limited to almost not possible.”
“The opportunity to call some games and get work with the production team and the telestrators and the feedback loops — I think it was a really important skill for me to learn,” Jansen continued. “The IFL gave me that opportunity.”
JJ Jansen has been with the Panthers the longest of anyone on the team. He will serve as an on-air analyst for three Indoor Football League games this spring. John D. Simmons For the Observer
Jansen has seen his close friend and former Panthers teammate, Greg Olsen, become one of the most revered color commentators in the game over the past few years.
The 40-year-old specialist has learned quite a bit from watching Olsen.
“I think he’s the best at what he does,” Jansen said. “In the time that I’ve spent with him, in the work we’ve done together, we’ve put so much emphasis on the preparation. And I just know talking to him before every game, he just feels so well-prepared for the game — almost feels like he could coach both teams.
“You don’t know what information you’re going to use. … We talk about it in terms of it being like an open-book test. The more prep you do, the, the better the notes that you have, just the better the overall game is going to go.”
Olsen has also made the most of his on-air partnerships at FOX, which is a skill Jansen wants to develop in the booth as well.
“You’ve got to work so well with your partner,” Jansen said. “The coolest part that I got to see firsthand with Greg is just the way he interacted with Kevin Burkhardt when they were doing the ‘A’ games on FOX, just the relationship that they had. The way they’re able to banter and talk. Not only does it make for a fun time, but it feeds into the crowd. … So I’m going to do my very best to build those relationships with the guys that I’m calling the (IFL) game with, and we think that always comes through on a broadcast.”
Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen, center, drops back to pass during a training camp practice in July 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Jansen will become a free agent in March. He has signed one-year deals with the Panthers in each of the past five offseasons.
His commentator job with the IFL won’t affect his offseason program plans with the NFL. He specifically picked dates to avoid any interference with organized team activities (OTAs).
“I see it as two things that I’m doing alongside one another,” Jansen said. “There are guys in our building that go and play a lot of golf. There are guys that build real estate empires and go back to school. This is what I like to do in the offseason, in terms of building up, not only my skills in a separate profession, but also it’s a hobby, right? Like, it’s a job, but it’s a hobby. It’s something I like doing. It’s something I want to get better at. And it just happens to also be in football.”
Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald celebrates with Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ. Jansen at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 21, 2025. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
In regard to free agency, Jansen wants to keep playing on Sundays. He has played in 277 consecutive NFL games — all with the Panthers — and he wants to see that streak grow.
Jansen is a minority owner in three minor league hockey teams: the Charlotte Checkers, Savannah Ghost Pirates and Greensboro Gargoyles. He also has a minority stake in the Gastonia Ghost Peppers, an independent baseball team in the Atlantic League.
On top of those four teams, Jansen is also part of an ownership group, Zawyer Sports Entertainment, which is launching its new women’s basketball league, UpShot League, in May — with teams based in four cities, including Charlotte.
Still, football is always his main priority. The IFL will give him some valuable analyst reps in the spring, but he is still eager to snap for a 19th season and beyond.
“You can’t play for any amount of time in the NFL with a Plan B,” Jansen said. “So, there is no Plan B for me in terms of football. I want to be a football player. I want to play for as many years as I can. I’d really like to play three more years. I think that (21 seasons) would be a really cool number to get to.
“But at the same time, we have some offseason, and it’s fun to be able to kind of grow your skill set as a human being and as a person, just because you want to get better at something and that is right in this category.”
Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen stands along the team bench during action against the Cleveland Browns in August 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Jansen’s IFL analyst schedule
Sunday, April 12: Jacksonville Sharks at Vegas Knight Hawks, 7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network
Saturday, April 25: New Mexico Chupacabras at Vegas Knight Hawks, 9 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network
Saturday, May 2: New Mexico Chupacabras at Jacksonville Sharks, 7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network