Ryan Kalil to Retire After 2018 Season After 12 Years with Panthers

Ryan Kalil plans to retire from the NFL when his contract with the Carolina Panthers expires after the 2018 season. 

"This is going to be the last one for me," Kalil said in reference to next year, according to the Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person.

Kalil has spent his entire career with the Panthers, who selected him in the second round of the 2007 draft. He has appeared in 132 games for the team. According to Pro Football Reference, only 11 players have played in more games for Carolina, and Kalil will tie Mike Minter for seventh on the franchise's all-time appearance list if he can stay healthy in 2018.

Health may be a big reason why Kalil is looking ahead to retirement, though. Between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, he missed 18 games, with a neck injury costing him a large chunk of this year. The 32-year-old declined to go into specifics about the issue when talking to Person.

"I'm of the mindset to try to keep my medical stuff as private as humanly possible, thus the vagueness that you get and the jokes that accompany it with me waking up with a stiff neck and things like that."

Given how long he has been with the team—along with the fact he's the only starting center quarterback Cam Newton has ever known in the NFL—Kalil's retirement will be a big blow to Carolina's offensive line.

By making his plans known this offseason, Kalil at least gives the Panthers a lot of time to start thinking about potential replacements in 2019.