Former Penn State lineman Rasheed Walker ultimately didn't secure the kind of lucrative long-term contract that several industry analysts anticipated. But the offensive tackle does have a new NFL home, landing with the Carolina Panthers via free agency.
His agency announced that signing Friday, sending him to his second franchise since entering the league in 2022. NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported it's a one-year deal that could pay Walker up to $10 million with incentives.
"Opportunity for Walker to ball out on a playoff contender, and get back to market for bigger deal in 2027," Wolfe noted.
As referenced, this is a essentially a "prove it" contract for Walker, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He will enter free agency again next March at 27 years old.
Walker was considered the No. 1 available player in ESPN's free agent rankings since Thursday, after several top names came off the board from Monday through Wednesday. The Athletic's Daniel Popper was among those who expected a much different outcome, predicting a four-year contract worth nearly $90 million.
"Walker is an athletic big man with good movement skills," Popper wrote ahead of free agency. "He has quick lateral feet to shut down wide angles and steer rushers wide. His active hands in pass protection make up for a less-than-ideal anchor. He relies on his upper-body strength in this phase. Walker fires off the ball in the run game and is a powerful player when he gets his momentum moving forward."
Walker started 48 of 51 regular-season games for Green Bay since 2023, including 16 last season. Due to seventh-round draft status (Pick 249) in 2022, his rookie deal paid him a base salary less than $1 million per season through 2024. He made approximately $3.4 million in 2025.
A 2021 Penn State captain, Walker was a third-team All-Big Ten pick by conference coaches during his last season on campus. He seriously considered entering the 2021 NFL Draft one year earlier before returning for his redshirt junior campaign, which ended with him sidelined.
Walker started 32 games in a Nittany Lions uniform, including the first 10 contests of 2021. However, he missed November matchups versus Rutgers and Michigan State, then arrived at the Outback Bowl on crutches. He did not participate in physical testing at the Scouting Combine or Penn State Pro Day, greatly impacting the pre-draft evaluation process.
After stepping into a starting role at left tackle in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, Walker remained there until his 2021 injury. Prior to his Penn State career, he attended North Point (Waldorf, Md.) High School, where he was considered a top-50 overall prospect within 247Sports' Class of 2018 recruit rankings.
As a high school standout, Walker also approached the 30-offer threshold. He took his recruitment beyond college football's inaugural December signing period and an appearance at the 2018 All-American Bowl, ultimately opting for Penn State over fellow finalists Ohio State and Virginia Tech in February 2018.
Walker is among several members of Penn State's 2022 draft class who switched teams in free agency this week, including safety Jaquan Brisker (Chicago Bears to Pittsburgh Steelers) receiver Jahan Dotson (Philadelphia Eagles to Atlanta Falcons), edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie (Atlanta Falcons to Philadelphia Eagles), linebacker Jesse Luketa (Los Angeles Rams to New England Patriots) and punter Jordan Stout (Baltimore Ravens to New York Giants).