Ranking the 7 worst contracts in Carolina Panthers history
By Jason Huber
Matt Kalil – Former Carolina Panthers OT
- Signed five-year, $55.5 million deal in 2017
When thinking of a Kalil offensive lineman, most Carolina Panthers fans will automatically remember center Ryan Kalil, who is one of the team’s best players ever.
Unfortunately, his brother, Matt Kalil, was far from that during his short tenure in Carolina.
In 2017, even though he was coming off a season in which he played in just two games due to injuries, the Panthers were hoping Kalil would return to his Pro Bowl form that he displayed with the Minnesota Vikings, and signed him to this large deal.
Carolina desperately needed a left tackle. The thought of pairing Matt and Ryan together on the offensive line sounded like a match made in heaven.
It wasn’t.
Kalil did play in all 16 games in 2017 but was very average. In 2018, he missed the entire season with a knee injury and was cut before the 2019 campaign to absolutely nobody’s surprise.
By cutting Kalil, Carolina saved $7.5 million but still took on $15 million in dead money. All-in-all, the lineman made it through just two years of his deal and received $31 million guaranteed from the Panthers – so this is deservedly one of the worst contracts ever given by the franchise.