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PJ Walker joins a growing list of players stepping 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 set to suit up for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 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 step away from football after nine years as a professional,” the Stampeders wrote in X.
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback PJ Walker yells 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, primarily serving as a backup. He started in 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 starred at Temple, where he set multiple school 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 the 2017 draft, but ultimately signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts.
Walker did not make a regular season appearance during his three-year stint with the Colts, during which he was released several times, signed and re-signed to the practice squad, and signed multiple reserve/future contracts.
Walker did not see his first NFL regular-season action 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 six games in 2022 in his third (and ultimately final) season in Carolina, highlighted by a dramatic late-game drive against the Atlanta Falcons that featured a 67-yard touchdown pass.
The play was nullified by a penalty for a Panthers player who removed his helmet, but the throw still traveled farther in the air than any completion 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 Oct. 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 arguably had his best season in 2020 with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.
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