Former Minnesota offensive tackle Matt Kalil has signed with the Panthers, per a club announcement. The deal was first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Now, Matt will play on the same offensive line as his brother, Ryan Kalil.
It’s a five-year, $55.5MM deal for Kalil, who will receive $24MM guaranteed, Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer writes. However, that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. The deal is effectively a one-year pact with an option for more, based on what one source tells Mike Florio of PFT.
The Panthers have to decide between the first and fifth day of the 2018 league year whether to exercise a $10MM option bonus for 2021, with a $10MM non-exercise fee for 2018. The Panthers can avoid escape the option bonus by releasing or trading him prior to that deadline. Ultimately, this all measures out to a one-year, $13MM deal with a $1MM guarantee for 2018. Cutting ties with Kalil after one year would be costly, but it wouldn’t be out of the question if he underperforms.
The Vikings took Kalil No. 4 overall in 2012 draft and watched him enjoy a stellar rookie campaign. However, he’s been unable to replicate that success. Last year, he appeared in just two games due to injury. Hopefully, he’ll be able to turn in a 16-game season this year, like he did from 2012-2015.
There was mutual interest in a reunion between the Vikings and the 27-year-old (28 this summer), but Kalil was likely drawn to Carolina by the chance to play with his brother. Now, he’ll go to the Panthers and fill one of the team’s major offseason needs. Michael Oher was slated to be the team’s left tackle for 2017, but concussion issues have put his status in question.