OT Yosh Nijman retired

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Yosh Nijman is retiring from the NFL after seven seasons, he announced late Wednesday night on Instagram.

Nijman, 30, was ranked 108th on The Athletic’s list of the top 150 free agents and was considered a candidate to return to Carolina. The Panthers need a replacement for left tackle Ikem Ekwonu for at least part of the season. Ekwonu underwent surgery after rupturing his patellar tendon in the first quarter of a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

But Nijman decided it was time to step away from the game.

“Football has given me so much, but I’m excited for the next chapter of life and the new ways God will use me moving forward,” he wrote. “The lessons, memories, and relationships from this game will stay with me forever.”

Nijman played his first five seasons with the Green Bay Packers after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of Virginia Tech. He spent his final two years with Carolina and played in 99 career games, with 29 starts.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7110491...ve-tackle/


Hopefully the FO knew this was coming.  OL needs lots of attention.

Welp.....

From my understanding, the Panthers had hoped to re-sign Yosh Nijman before he announced his retirement Wednesday night, a development that came as a surprise to the organization. Morgan could use the money the team had allocated for Nijman to sign another swing tackle, wait and draft one next month or — ideally — do both.

Joe Person
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7113557...ve-tackle/

His retirement actually surprised me, and it sounds like it was somewhat of a surprise to the organization as well. Best wishes to him.