BREAKING!!! Panthers signing Packers LT Rasheed Walker

[TheSpecialJuan]

Rasheed Walker, OT

Editor's note: Walker signed with the Panthers on Friday afternoon.

Why is he still available? Likely the contract size. Young left tackles earned massive deals in free agency last season. Jaylon Moore, the backup to Trent Williams in San Francisco, signed a two-year, $30 million contract to join the Chiefs. Dan Moore Jr., a below-average starter in Pittsburgh, inked a four-year, $82 million pact with the Titans. The latter Moore allowed the most sacks in the league in 2024 (16.5), per NFL Next Gen Stats, then finished second behind Stone Forsythe in 2025 (13.5 sacks).

Walker, a three-year starter in Green Bay, was the latest young left tackle to hit the market. He is coming from a better offense and hasn't missed a game since taking over as the starter on Jordan Love's blind side in 2023. At 26, Walker had every right to expect that he would earn one of the largest deals in free agency. My expectation was that his deal could come in as high as $25 million per season, and ESPN's Seth Walder projected Walker's new contract to average $21.8 million per year.

Talking to people in and around the league about Walker before free agency, though, there wasn't a real excitement about an opportunity that should have been very appealing on paper. Was it a red flag that the Packers were letting a young player at a critical position walk out the door without really pushing too hard to re-sign him? Were the two Moore contracts from 2024 more of an outlier than a true indicator of what teams were willing to pay for young tackles?

Some teams with left tackle openings elected to head in a different direction. The Bears and Panthers will need left tackles to open 2026 after their incumbents (Ozzy Trapilo and Ikem Ekwonu, respectively) tore their patellar tendons in January. They both opted for short-term solutions, as the Bears re-signed Braxton Jones and the Panthers added Forsythe. Teams that might have signed a left tackle and moved their incumbents to the right side, such as the Browns and Texans, instead chose to acquire right tackles.

Walker might also be heading for a short-term deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter spoke with ESPN Milwaukee earlier this week and suggested that Walker might need to settle for a one-year deal before hitting free agency again in 2027. It looks like the significant market that many anticipated for Walker -- myself included -- never really materialized.

[TheSpecialJuan]

Just now, TheSpecialJuan said:

Rasheed Walker, OT

Editor's note: Walker signed with the Panthers on Friday afternoon.

Why is he still available? Likely the contract size. Young left tackles earned massive deals in free agency last season. Jaylon Moore, the backup to Trent Williams in San Francisco, signed a two-year, $30 million contract to join the Chiefs. Dan Moore Jr., a below-average starter in Pittsburgh, inked a four-year, $82 million pact with the Titans. The latter Moore allowed the most sacks in the league in 2024 (16.5), per NFL Next Gen Stats, then finished second behind Stone Forsythe in 2025 (13.5 sacks).

Walker, a three-year starter in Green Bay, was the latest young left tackle to hit the market. He is coming from a better offense and hasn't missed a game since taking over as the starter on Jordan Love's blind side in 2023. At 26, Walker had every right to expect that he would earn one of the largest deals in free agency. My expectation was that his deal could come in as high as $25 million per season, and ESPN's Seth Walder projected Walker's new contract to average $21.8 million per year.

Talking to people in and around the league about Walker before free agency, though, there wasn't a real excitement about an opportunity that should have been very appealing on paper. Was it a red flag that the Packers were letting a young player at a critical position walk out the door without really pushing too hard to re-sign him? Were the two Moore contracts from 2024 more of an outlier than a true indicator of what teams were willing to pay for young tackles?

Some teams with left tackle openings elected to head in a different direction. The Bears and Panthers will need left tackles to open 2026 after their incumbents (Ozzy Trapilo and Ikem Ekwonu, respectively) tore their patellar tendons in January. They both opted for short-term solutions, as the Bears re-signed Braxton Jones and the Panthers added Forsythe. Teams that might have signed a left tackle and moved their incumbents to the right side, such as the Browns and Texans, instead chose to acquire right tackles.

Walker might also be heading for a short-term deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter spoke with ESPN Milwaukee earlier this week and suggested that Walker might need to settle for a one-year deal before hitting free agency again in 2027. It looks like the significant market that many anticipated for Walker -- myself included -- never really materialized.

Bill Barnwell article this morning: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48185973/2026-nfl-free-agency-best-team-fits-top-players-available-barnwell

[Clicheking]

Dan is truly cooking this off-season. Starter level player, we can truly go BPA now.....I haven't been this exited about the future of this team in a long time

[PNW_PantherMan]

Great move 

[TheSpecialJuan]

https://x.com/tejfbanalytics/status/2032562269377241541?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

the panthers have added 3 of CBS sports’ top 20 free agents in jaelan phillips, devin lloyd and rasheed walker. all of those players fit an area of need and inspire optimism in their respective units. awesome job by their front office

[TheSpecialJuan]

https://x.com/dp_nfl/status/2032560586198745350?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

[TheSpecialJuan]

https://x.com/mike_e_kaye/status/2032563128127377564?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

[UnluckyforSome]

Good signing, as something had to be done about left tackle. 

It's hard not to think that Nijam was going to be most of the solution. That would not have gone well.

We absolutely need to start drafting some offensive line though and get some homegrown talent. 

[Martin]

I’m still really interested in drafting an LT in the first round if the right one is there. Perfect scenario to allow to sit and learn for a bit. That’s how you get a starter for 10-15 years.

[*FreeFua*]

Man what a get this late into FA

Walker gave up 6 LESS pressures than Ekwonu while playing 22 more pass blocking snaps

[pantherclaw]

Nijam was never the solution, even before he retired. 

You dont march a career backup out there to be your starting LT to protect your franchise  

[pantherclaw]

Nijam was never the solution, even before he retired. 

You dont march a career backup out there to be your starting LT to protect your franchise  

[electro's horse]

1 minute ago, pantherclaw said:

Nijam was never the solution, even before he retired. 

You dont march a career backup out there to be your starting LT to protect your franchise  

protect the who?

be wary of young players the Packers let walk, especially on offense

[OldhamA]

3 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

Nijam was never the solution, even before he retired. 

You dont march a career backup out there to be your starting LT to protect your franchise  

Fortunately we don't have a franchise QB to protect, so we can get away with a stopgap LT.