Ihmir Smith-Marsette on returning to Panthers: ‘Exactly where I wanna be’

Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette has notched more stops than he has seasons in his young NFL career. But he may have finally found a home in Charlotte.

On Tuesday, the 24-year-old agreed to terms on a new deal with the Carolina Panthers. Smith-Marsette, who was an unrestricted free agent for a few days, will return to the team on a one-year contract following a relatively encouraging showing in 2023.

Not long after the news dropped, he tweeted out this heartfelt message to Panthers fans:

Exactly where I wanna be love the fans and all the support https://t.co/4Lsr0S2lZ8

— Ihmir Smith-Marsette (@_ihmirr_) March 13, 2024

Smith-Marsette was first acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs this past summer. He’d go on to flash some promise, contributing a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 20-yard rushing score to the team’s highlight reel—which, obviously, really needed some highlights.

When asked about a potential return for 2024 back in January, Smith-Marsette brought up his chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young.

“I want to be here because first of all, the impact Bryce has on the game, the talent you see, the flashes he showed, it’s like, you don’t really get that a lot of places,” he said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com. “So, it’s a lot of moving parts with quarterback play and stuff like that. That’s the capabilities he has, and I just want to be a part of that. I feel like I connect with him on the field. He sees what I see. I see what he sees. And it’s just like, we always seem to hit.”

Luckily for Smith-Marsette and Young, they should have some more opportunities to hit this upcoming season.