Panthers of Carolina Kalil signed a five-year, $55 million contract with the Carolina Panthers on March 10, 2017. Matt and his brother, Ryan Kalil, will be the third set of siblings to play on the same offensive line in the NFL, and the first in 24 years. The last time three brothers all played on the same team was October 20, 1984 when the New York Giants, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions all had two players from a family on their rosters. The other two sets of brothers to do so are the Bennetts and Perriers of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Lefevres of the New Orleans Saints.
Kalil was the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Vikings, but he was traded to the Panthers during the 2016 season after eight seasons with Minnesota. He started every game at left tackle for the Vikings during his tenure there and was named to the Pro Bowl after the 2014 season. Kalil is only the second Panther to be selected number one overall, the other being Steve Smith who was drafted first overall by Carolina in 2003.
In addition to playing football, Matt and Ryan Kalil work together as analysts for ESPN's SportsCenter and co-host a weekly podcast about the NFL called "The Kalil Report." Their father, Bob, also worked for ESPN as an analyst during the 1990s. He died in November 2015 at the age of 59 due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
The Carolina Panthers signed T Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55 million contract on March 11, 2017. The Minnesota Vikings placed T Matt Kalil on injured reserve on September 21, 2016. The Minnesota Vikings signed T Matt Kalil to a four-year contract on July 26, 2012. The deal is worth up to $20 million with incentives that could take it to $60 million.
Kalil came into the NFL as one of the top center prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was projected to go early in the first round before an ankle injury caused him to drop out of the first day of drills at the NFL Combine. Kalil managed to recover in time for the second day of drills but fell further down the board after some teams were concerned about his health. The Carolina Panthers decided to take a chance on him despite his fall down the draft board and were willing to pay him like a top-10 pick.
As a rookie, Kalil started all 16 games for the Panthers and helped them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008. He only gave up one sack all season long and was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement player after Derek Carr broke his collarbone late in the year. Kalil also earned a reputation as one of the best centers in football after showing he was capable of playing above average basketball defense too.
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