NFL journeyman PJ Walker retires following nine-season pro football career

P.J. Walker joins a increasing database of players stepping distant from football.

Before Thursday's announcement, the erstwhile backmost who spent clip with respective NFL teams and besides had a stint successful the now-defunct XFL, was acceptable to suit up for the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders successful the upcoming 2026 season.

Walker is retiring aft 9 nonrecreational seasons, the squad confirmed. "The Stampeders person been informed that backmost P.J. Walker has decided to measurement distant from shot aft 9 years arsenic a professional," the Stampeders wrote connected X.

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Quarterback PJ Walker of the Seattle Seahawks calls retired earlier the drawback during an NFL preseason crippled against the Cleveland Browns astatine Lumen Field successful Seattle connected Aug. 24, 2024. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

Walker saw constricted enactment past play with the Stampeders, chiefly serving arsenic a backup. He did commencement successful 1 crippled successful 2025, finishing the play with 395 passing yards and 2 touchdowns against 4 interceptions.

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Before turning pro, Walker starred astatine Temple, wherever helium acceptable aggregate schoolhouse passing records. He besides led the Owls to aggregate vessel appearances, becoming the archetypal backmost successful programme past to bash so. Walker went undrafted successful 2017, but yet signed arsenic a escaped cause with the Indianapolis Colts.

Walker did not marque a regular-season quality during his three-year stint with the Colts, during which helium was released aggregate times, signed and re-signed to the signifier squad, and inked aggregate reserve/future contracts.

Walker did not spot his archetypal NFL regular-season enactment until 2020, erstwhile helium made 4 appearances with the Carolina Panthers.

PJ Walker of the Carolina Panthers looks to walk against the Atlanta Falcons during the 2nd 4th astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium successful Atlanta, Georgia, connected Oct. 30, 2022. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

He played successful six games successful 2022 successful his 3rd — and yet last — play successful Carolina, highlighted by a melodramatic late-game thrust against the Atlanta Falcons that featured a 67-yard touchdown pass.

The play was nullified by a punishment for a Panthers subordinate removing his helmet, but the propulsion inactive traveled farther successful the aerial than immoderate completed walk since 2016, according to Next Gen Stats. Carolina yet mislaid the crippled 37-34 successful overtime.

Cleveland Browns backmost PJ Walker warms up earlier a crippled against the San Francisco 49ers astatine Cleveland Browns Stadium successful Cleveland, Ohio, connected Oct. 15, 2023. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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In summation to his clip with the Colts and Panthers, Walker made 2 starts for the Cleveland Browns successful 2023. He besides signed with the Chicago Bears that twelvemonth and played successful the preseason with the Seattle Seahawks successful 2024.

Walker arguably had his champion play successful 2020 with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks.

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