The day free agent left tackle Matt Kalil signed with Carolina last week, his older brother _ Panthers Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil _ was on the other side of the country tending to a previous commitment in California.
That's the way it's been for the Kalil brothers throughout their careers, beginning with the Corona Chargers in a youth league in southern California. Because Ryan was four years older, he was always moving on _ from the Corona pee-wee league, Servite High and Southern Cal _ a season or two before his younger brother arrived.
No longer.
Barring injury or an unlikely roster move, the Kalil boys will be teammates for at least the next two seasons in Charlotte, becoming the first set of brothers to play together for the Panthers in team history.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with your big brother," Matt Kalil said. "The guy you kind of missed by a couple years throughout your whole career."
Even when both made the NFL, they didn't get to spend much time together.
Ryan settled in Charlotte with his family over the past decade. Matt, who played his first five seasons with the Vikings, lived in Minnesota, where his wife grew up.
"We talk (in Carolina) about creating a team and a family (atmosphere)," Ryan Kalil said. "That being a real family, I think there's a great advantage there to create that bond and become closer to my brother, not only as a family member but a teammate."
The Kalils will make up two-fifths of the offensive line for a Panthers' team looking to bounce back from a 6-10, post-Super Bowl letdown.
All the warm and fuzzies from the Kalils' feel-good story figure to get swallowed up if one or both of the brothers struggle in their return from season-ending surgeries in 2016.
The Panthers invested $55.5 million in Matt Kalil, who will make a guaranteed $24 million over the first two years of his five-year deal.
The younger Kalil made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2012 after the Vikings drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick out of USC. But he has struggled in the four years since, giving up an average of six sacks and 40 quarterback pressures per season over the span, according to Pro Football Focus.
