Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly shocked the NFL universe Tuesday night when he announced his retirement from the NFL.
Kuechly, 28, is considered one of the best linebackers of his generation. He's started all 118 games of his career with the Panthers, totaling 1,092 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 18 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
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Kuechly will be impossible to replace for rookie coach Matt Rhule and the Panthers defense, but they could end up looking at two of the Bears' key free agents as possible candidates, depending on the scheme Carolina runs in life after Ron Rivera.
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Nick Kwiatkoski and Danny Trevathan are both set to become unrestricted free agents and they were expected to have a long list of suitors before the Panthers' sudden need at linebacker. Adding another team to their pool of potential employers will only increase their open-market value and make it even more challenging for GM Ryan Pace.
Kuechly's retirement could force Pace to reevaluate his offseason strategy for either Trevathan or Kwiatkoski and make sure he has his preferred choice locked up before the spending spree kicks off.
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It's possible this has been Pace's plan all along anyway. But Kuechly's shocking decision to walk away from the game will focus even more attention on this year's free-agent linebackers; the time is now for Pace to get a deal done.
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