Ryan Kalil didn't retire after all.
The former Carolina Panthers center spent the 2018 campaign assuming it would be his last in the NFL, but decided he wasn't done snapping the pigskin after all.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Kalil will come out of retirement to play for the New York Jets on a one-year deal that will pay up to $8.4 million, per sources informed of the situation. The Jets later confirmed the news.
Kalil had spent his entire 12-year career with the Panthers. The 34-year-old played in all 16 games in 2018 after two injury-ravaged seasons, including a serious neck injury in 2017.
The Panthers signed center Matt Paradis, a player the Jets had their eye on in free agency, to replace Kalil.
A two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, Kalil represents a massive upgrade for the middle of the Jets' offensive line, which had Jonotthan Harrison penciled in at the pivot. After an offseason of consternation surrounding who would snap the ball to Sam Darnold, the Jets swooped in to convince Kalil to come out of retirement. If he stays healthy in 2019, the issue should be resolved in a big way.
