Carolina Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, joining the growing number of prominent young NFL figures (Andrew Luck, Rob Gronkowski) to hang up the cleats in their prime.
Many see the danger in continuing to play more than eight or so years in the NFL. The risk of developing or incurring CTE and other debilitating injuries is too great. With salaries skyrocketing, it only makes sense to get out of the game with both your health and financial security.
Kuechly’s retirement also puts the Panthers in a different position come draft day. This offseason, they’ll be seeking a replacement in the form of an off-ball linebacker or another defensive which means they could angle to move up in the draft.
They currently have the seventh overall pick in the first round of the draft. If they have designs on players such as Chase Young or Isaiah Simmons, they could jump ahead of the New York Giants at No. 4 by swinging a deal with the two teams that have the second and third overall picks, Washington and Detroit.
They could also approach the Giants with a trade offer. However, that’s not likely to happen given Dave Gettleman’s rocky relationship with the Panthers, but they are under new ownership and if the deal is good enough, it’s worth eating crow for.
Either way, the Giants must now account for the possibility of the Panthers looking to leap them in the draft to grab either Young or Simmons, both of whom should top Big Blue’s draft board (at least at this early stage).
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