Latest contract details for Panthers new left tackle Rasheed Walker proves Dan Morgan got away with highway robbery in free agency
The Carolina Panthers got an absolute steal of a deal with Rasheed Walker.
Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan absolutely killed it during the first week of free agency with the splash signings to improve the roster going into 2026.
Granted, splashes in free agency do come with inherent risks. For example, the Panthers overlooked the injury and production concerns when handing Jaelan Philips a contract that makes him among the Top-10 highest-paid edge rushers in the league.
The signings of linebacker Devin Lloyd and left tackle Rasheed Walker, however, were incredible by the Panthers when it came to assessing the market and waiting out a value deal. Walker’s deal is especially looking like an enormous win for Carolina based on the latest contract details.
Contract details revealed for Carolina Panthers new left tackle Rasheed Walker
The initial reporting was that Walker signed a one-year deal worth up to $10 million. The words “up to” are critical there and now we see why. Walker’s deal actually only has $4 million base value with a $2 million signing bonus, a salary of $1.215 million, with $3.215 million fully guaranteed. The deal will also include $40,000 in per game active roster bonuses and $105,000 in workout bonuses with other added incentives.
That deal is absolute highway robbery when it comes to acquiring a free agent starting-caliber left tackle. Most of the time, those kind of options don’t hit the market and if they do, they’re incredibly expensive and looking for multi-year deals. The Panthers were in a tricky situation and landed on the best possible outcome to address the immediate need.
This deal does suck for Walker, though. The former Green Bay Packers seventh-round pick was hoping to cash in a much more lucrative contract on the open market, similar to what Dan Moore and Jaylon Moore received last offseason. It sucks for Green Bay as well, who were banking on getting a solid comp pick back after letting Walker walk.
“The Packers were never going to re-sign Rasheed Walker, because they intend to give the left tackle spot to former first-round pick Jordan Morgan, but they thought he would draw more than the one-year, $10 million contract he got from the Panthers. Some predictions had Walker getting as much $20 million per year, which would have netted the Packers another high compensatory draft pick in 2027, perhaps as high as a third-rounder. Now, the best the Packers can hope for is another late-round pick.” – ESPN’s Rob Demovsky
You never see signings look this good for a team on paper and that’s before we even see Walker hit the field. Walker still has a chance to earn up to that $10 million mark with his play in 2026 and can hit the market again next year after hopefully a strong showing with the Panthers.
After 2026, the Panthers are hoping to get Ickey Ekwonu back in the fold and see how he looks coming off a significant knee injury with a long-term deal still hanging in the balance.