NFL executive confirms the Panthers made one of the best moves of the offseason and it could look even better real soon
The Carolina Panthers found really great value in offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, earning the praise of a rival NFL executive, and Walker hasn’t even won the starting job yet.
Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan made several splashes this offseason between free agency and the draft, including the bold decision to hand Jaelan Phillips a $120 million contract and reel in a top linebacker in Devin Lloyd.
In the eyes of one AFC executive, the best move the Panthers made this offseason came from another one of the team’s free agent acquisitions when the team gave a one-year, $4 million deal to offensive tackle Rasheed Walker.
“Nobody was paying him $20 million [a year], but no way I thought it would be that low,” an AFC executive said, via ESPN. “Capable tackles usually get way more than that. That’s a great deal for Carolina. I’m thinking many teams would have done that deal.”
Carolina Panthers played the market out perfectly with Rasheed Walker, who has starting potential
After losing Ickey Ekwonu to a torn patellar tendon, the Panthers needed to do something to sure up the left tackle position, both short and long-term. The Panthers easily could have jumped the gun and paid Walker a massive deal when free agency open.
As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler pointed out, that’s what the Tennessee Titans did the year before when they gave Dan Moore Jr. a four-year, $82 million contract. Instead, the Panthers waited and waited. No team was willing to pursue Walker on the market, allowing the Panthers to swoop in days later with a very team-friendly deal.
It’s not a long-term solution (first-round rookie Monroe Freeling fits that bill), but the addition of Walker at least gives Carolina a veteran option to potentially start in 2026.
“I’ve always had that mentality,” Walker said last week when asked if he wants to start at left tackle. “I want to be on the field, and I ball, so that’s my mentality. That was my mentality coming here on the first day, and it’s going to be my mentality when we get back.”
When players get back for training camp and pads come on, the battle for the starting left tackle position between Walker and Freeling will really kick into gear.
“Everybody knows when we come back for camp, it’s time to go,” Walker added. “We’re going hard for months, so this is my fifth year in the league now, so I kind of already know what’s up. So, I think my biggest thing is I just got to stay healthy and stay focused.”
If Walker does win the starting job and plays up to a starting caliber, this deal will continue looking like an absolute steal for the Panthers that the rest of the league completely wiffed out on.