The Carolina Panthers were active during the NFL’s legal tampering period, and that continued with the official start of free agency on Wednesday. Shortly after the start of the new league year, the Panthers added veteran wide receiver John Metchi III on a one-year deal.
Metchie’s resume in the NFL isn’t one that’s going to get fans excited, but his history with Carolina’s quarterback, Bryce Young, will have Panthers’ fans feeling optimistic. The two played two seasons together at the University of Alabama, and connected on a lot of big plays before they entered the NFL. They will now get that connection back rolling in Carolina.
Alabama teammates Bryce Young and John Metchie reunite on Panthers
Metchie only had one season for the Crimson Tide when Young was the starting quarterback, and it was the receiver’s best season. In 2021, his final season at Alabama, Metchie caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also tore his ACL towards the end of that season, which impacted his transition to the NFL.
The wide receiver was ultimately selected in the second round of the 2022 Draft by the Houston Texans, but missed his entire rookie season due to a battle with leukemia. He returned in 2023, and played the next two seasons with Houston, catching 40 passes for 412 yards and one touchdown in 29 games.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 2025 season, and caught just four passes for 18 yards in seven games, before they sent him to the New York Jets. With the Jets, Metchie had his most productive stretch as a pro, catching 29 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, in nine games in New York.
He’ll now try to carry that momentum into 2026, as he joins the Panthers. Carolina has a promising young group of wide receivers, led by 2025 Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan. Metchie will now contribute to that group as the Panthers hope to build on a 2025 season that saw the team make the playoffs and come within a play of winning a Wild Card game.