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P.J. Walker joins a growing list of players stepping away from football.
Before 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 Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders in the upcoming 2026 season.
Walker is retiring after nine professional seasons, the team confirmed. “The Stampeders have been informed that quarterback P.J. Walker has decided to step away from football after nine years as a professional,” the Stampeders wrote on X.
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Quarterback PJ Walker of the Seattle Seahawks calls out before the snap during an NFL preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at Lumen Field in Seattle on Aug. 24, 2024. (Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)
Walker saw limited action last season with the Stampeders, primarily serving as a backup. He did start in one game in 2025, finishing the season with 395 passing yards and two touchdowns against four interceptions.
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Before turning pro, 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 2017, but eventually 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 multiple times, signed and re-signed to the practice squad, and inked 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 Oct. 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 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 removing his helmet, but the throw still traveled farther in 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 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 XFL’s Houston Roughnecks.
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