The Giants stuck by kicker Aldrick Rosas through a rough rookie season in 2017. New general manager Dave Gettleman appears to want a more proven kicker for 2018.

The Giants are expected to pursue Panthers kicker Graham Gano when free agency begins on March 12, according to a source. Gano, who has been with Carolina since 2012, was the Panthers' kicker during Gettleman's tenure as general manager from 2013-16.

Gano is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the best season of his nine-year career. Gano, 30, earned his first Pro Bowl selection after leading the NFL by making 96.7 percent of his field goals (29-of-30) last season.

The only potential catch is that the Panthers could prevent Gano from reaching the open market. The NFL Network reported on Feb. 22 that the Panthers could place the franchise tag on Gano. But a week has passed and the team still has not applied the tag. The deadline to apply the tag is Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney told the team's website on Tuesday that re-signing Gano is a "priority." Hurney, who made no mention of using the franchise tag, said, "This time of year it's hard to predict anything. It's just a fluid process day-to-day."

The franchise tag would pay Gano approximately $4.8 million for the 2018 season. The price tag for a long-term deal for Gano would likely be in the $4 million-per-year range, according to the source. That would put Gano, who is the best option on the market, in the top five in kicker salaries, matching the five-year, $20 million extension Titans kicker Ryan Succop signed last week.

Rosas is entering the second year of a two-year, $1.02 million contract. The 23-year-old is scheduled to earn $555,000 in 2018 with no guaranteed money in his contract.

Rosas was a great story last preseason, beating veteran Mike Nugent in a tight kicking competition. But Rosas made just 72 percent of his field goals, which ranked 30th among qualifying kickers.

The Giants signed 25-year-old kicker Marshall Koehn, who has appeared in one career game, to a futures contract after the season.

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.