TheSpecialJuan

He's terrific

Good signing by the Panthers to take advantage of the market dropping out on Packers LT Rasheed Walker. Gives them a very high-end insurance policy for Ickey Ekwonu, who's not a sure thing to be back for Week 1, as he rehabs a torn patellar tendon. https://x.com/albertbreer/status/2032574477658149033?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

IMO the @Panthers have had one of the best first weeks of FA. https://x.com/tonypauline/status/2032561225024844183?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Seth Walder, ESPN https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47911726/2026-nfl-free-agency-grades-signings-trades-latest-best-worst-deals-draft-outlook

Panthers sign OT Rasheed Walker Terms: One year, up to $10 million Grade: A The price of this deal might be the most shocking of free agency thus far. Walker was widely considered the best free agent tackle this year and was expected to receive a large contract. But his market developed very slowly, so he has signed a one-year deal with a maximum value of $10 million -- meaning the base value is below that -- per NFL Network. For context, my free agency contract model projected a deal averaging $21.8 million for Walker. Instead, it's a short-term commitment for less than half that. And the Panthers are the beneficiaries. Carolina entered this offseason with a possible need at left tackle after Ikem Ekwonu suffered a patellar tendon rupture in the playoffs that put his 2026 season in question. It's also the last year of his contract. The Panthers signed Stone Forsythe as an insurance plan already in free agency, but once Walker's market fell it seemed like they felt adding him was well worth it, too. Our win rate metrics consider Walker to be a solid player. Last season in Green Bay, he was in the 85th percentile among tackles in pass block win rate, though only 22nd percentile in run block win rate. He was in the 69th percentile and 48th percentile in those two metrics in 2024, respectively. Given that Dan Moore Jr. received $20.5 million per year from the Titans last year most -- myself included -- thought Walker would walk away with more than that. Perhaps the struggles of Moore (who wasn't great last season) contributed to Walker's market being cooler than expected, a theory that ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggested. Walker was also arrested two months ago at LaGuardia Airport in New York for allegedly trying to check-in with a firearm that he had a license for in Wisconsin but not New York. Either way, teams felt differently about Walker than most on the outside thought. But he's a heck of an add for the Panthers at this price. While his run-game contributions might be far from perfect, a weak pass protector at tackle can sink a passing game. Even if this is only a one-year arrangement, Walker should be able to help keep Bryce Young upright

IMO the @Panthers have had one of the best first weeks of FA. https://x.com/tonypauline/status/2032561225024844183?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

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

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

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

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

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.

The Panthers front office has done a magnificent job with both the process and execution of their free agency plan. Every move has felt intentional, disciplined, and focused on building a stronger roster without sacrificing the future

Rasheed Walker CARTackle#63 Panthers signed LT Rasheed Walker, formerly of the Packers, to a one-year, $10 million contract. This is a great deal for the Panthers. Walker, a former seventh-round pick with the Packers, made just over $6 million on his rookie contract. This is a decent pay bump for him. Among NFL tackles with at least 490 left tackle snaps, Walker’s 69.3 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 21st. The Panthers lost starter LT Ikem Ekwonu to a patellar tendon rupture during their Wild Card Round loss to the Rams last year. While he is undoubtedly rehabbing the injury rigorously, signing Walker gives them a reliable, if non-elite, starter for as long as they need one in 2026