CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Quarterbacks. Running backs. Receivers.

Looking for football players that garner the headlines? That's a good place to start.

The long snapper?

What You Need To Know

  • J.J. Jansen has been the long snapper for the Carolina Panthers since 2009

  • Jansen is set to become the all-time leader in games played for Carolina on Sunday, with 222

  • His consistency has made him the bedrock of the special teams unit for more than a decade

Carolina Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen has quietly — and steadily — done his job in Charlotte since 2009. He has 15 years of service in the National Football League, and on Sunday, he is set to become the all-time leader in games played for Carolina, with 222.

The player he will pass? The team's original placekicker, Jon Kasay.

"It's been fun, it's been a blast, it's gone by really fast," Jansen said Wednesday."It's been fun, it's been a blast, it's gone by really fast," Jansen said Wednesday. "I think it's a really cool honor to be here this long and do it for this team, and this city. But it's really been a reminder of all the tremendous people that have guided and mentored my wife and I through all this. Coaches, players, it's been special."

Jansen arrived in Carolina via a trade with Green Bay. The Panthers sent a conditional seventh-round draft pick to the Packers in exchange for Jansen.  The pick was for the 2011 draft, the trade was done in 2009. No one knew at the time that the Notre Dame product would end up as the Panthers leader in games played.

"The biggest thing that I've learned, is how important my position is. I've always taken it as the team is entrusting me with this spot. Wanting to play well every single week, there's no snaps that don't matter, there's no games that don't matter, because there's a lot of people relying on me," Jansen said.

Jansen has done his job in relative anonymity — which is a good thing on special teams. If nobody is talking about you in that phase of the game, that means you've executed your job without mistakes. The approaching milestone has changed that in a big way.

"I've been in the paper more in the last two and a half weeks than I have in, probably, the last 14 years," Jansen quipped.

His consistency has made him the bedrock of the Panthers special teams unit for more than a decade. His humble approach has allowed him to become a locker room leader, setting the example for his teammates, both young and old.

"You get to be a servant. It is a thankless job, but I get a lot of joy out of seeing guys doing really well around me."