The Carolina Panthers were a 2-15 team in 2023. Under new head coach Dave Canales, the team improved to 5-12 the following season thanks to a second-half surge. In 2025, the club overcame a shaky 1-3 start to finish 8-9—capturing the NFC South.

The Panthers hosted the wild card Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs, a team they had beaten earlier in the season (Week 13) at Charlotte. The franchise was seeking its first playoff win since the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Walker never earned the Packers’ full trust despite winning multiple camp battles as a 2022 seventh-round pick,” explained Manzano. “He’s not viewed as one of the top players at his position, but Green Bay could always count on him to be a serviceable starting left tackle, which is hard to find in this league…”

Carolina gets an experienced blocker at a great price

Zach Kruse of Packers Wire outlined just how good of a deal Carolina got. “The numbers are even more staggering than the initial reports. While the deal has a value of up to $10 million, the base value of the deal is only $4 million, including a $2 million signing bonus. His minimum base salary is also guaranteed in 2026.”

“For comparison,” added Manzano, “Cam Robinson, who might not be as good as Walker, received a one-year, $12 million deal from Houston last year. Walker gives the Panthers insurance and can start at left tackle if Ikem Ekwonu misses time due to his knee injury.”

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The 6’6”, 324-pound blocker was pretty much a fixture at left tackle during his final three seasons in Green Bay, and did not miss a game over that span. His Pro Football Focus’ grade (63.0) this past season slipped a bit from 2024 (68.7), but he offers the Panthers an experienced solution to what could have been a huge problem.

It will also be interesting to see what Morgan and the Panthers will do with the 19th overall pick in this month’s draft. Could the team be looking at addressing the tackle spot on Day One after all?