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PJ Walker joins a growing list of players walking away from football.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, the former quarterback who spent time with several NFL teams and also had a stint in the now-defunct XFL was expected to join the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League during the upcoming 2026 season.
Walker is retiring after nine professional seasons, the team confirmed. “The Stampeders have been informed that quarterback PJ Walker has decided to retire from football after nine years as a professional,” the Stampeders wrote on X.
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Quarterback PJ Walker of the Seattle Seahawks tackles before the snap during an NFL preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field in Seattle on August 24, 2024. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
Walker saw limited action last season with the Stampeders, serving primarily as a backup. He started one game in 2025, finishing the season with 395 passing yards and two touchdowns against four interceptions.
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Before turning professional, Walker played at Temple, where he set several academic passing records. He also led the Owls to multiple bowl appearances, becoming the first quarterback in program history to do so. Walker went undrafted in 2017, but ultimately signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts.
Walker did not make a regular season appearance during his three-year stay with the Colts, during which he was released several times, signed and re-signed to the practice squad, and signed several reserve/future contracts.
Walker didn’t see his first regular season action in the NFL until 2020, when he made four appearances with the Carolina Panthers.
PJ Walker of the Carolina Panthers looks to pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on October 30, 2022. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
He played in six games in 2022 in his third – and ultimately final – season in Carolina, highlighted by a spectacular late-game drive against the Atlanta Falcons that included a 67-yard touchdown pass.
The play was nullified by a penalty for a Panthers player removing his helmet, but the throw still traveled further through the air than any completed pass since 2016, according to Next Gen Stats. Carolina ultimately lost the game 37-34 in overtime.
Cleveland Browns quarterback PJ Walker warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on October 15, 2023. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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In addition to his time with the Colts and Panthers, Walker made two starts for the Cleveland Browns in 2023. He also signed with the Chicago Bears that year and played in the preseason with the Seattle Seahawks in 2024.
Walker had arguably his best season in 2020 with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.
