Luke Kuechly officially goes on the reserve/retired list

#Panthers star LB Luke Kuechly officially went on Reserve/Retired list today, source said.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 2, 2020

Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly officially went on the retired/reserve list today, according to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network. Kuechly announced his retirement in January.

The team has since signed Tahir Whitehead and picked up several undrafted free agents at the position, but replacing Kuechly is impossible.

There is some good news, though. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, the team can spread Kuechly’s cap hit ($15,510,059) over the next two years, potentially freeing up around $6 million in cap space for 2020.

Can confirm Luke Kuechly is on the official reserve/retired list today, as 1st by @RapSheet.
By waiting until after June 1, Panthers can spread his cap hit over the next two years and save about $6M vs the cap in 2020.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) June 2, 2020

This is good news for a franchise that had less cap space than any other team in the league following the signing of cornerback Eli Apple.

General manager Marty Hurney recently said that defensive tackle and offensive line are still priorities.