Luke Kuechly

As first reported by Ian Rapoport, former Panthers LB Luke Kuechly officially hit the reserve/retired list Tuesday after announcing his retirement earlier this year.

Fantasy Impact

In what surprised many, Kuechly announced his retirement from the NFL back in January after completing his eighth season in Carolina. The former 2012 first-round pick dealt with some injuries and concussions throughout his career, which likely led to his decision to call it quits at just 28 years old. During his eight seasons in the league, Kuechly never recorded fewer than 100 tackles in a season. In totality, he ends his career with 1,092 tackles, 12.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and 18 interceptions. By waiting until after June 1 to put Kuechly on the reserve/retired list, Carolina can spread his cap hit over two years and save about $6M against the cap in 2020.

Luke Kuechly has announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact

Kuechly, who was under contract for two more years with Carolina, has announced his retirement. This comes as a shock as Kuechly was playing at a high-level, and just recorded his eighth consecutive 100-plus tackle season. The All-Pro linebacker played all eight seasons in Carolina, totaling 1.092 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 18 interceptions and seven forced fumbles across 118 career games.

Luke Kuechly ended Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Seahawks with 17 total tackles (eight solo).

Fantasy Impact

Kuechly has 131 total tackles through Week 15 of the NFL season. He also has two interceptions during that time as well. The eight-year veteran should be viewed as an LB1 each week and next season.

Luke Kuechly ended Sunday’s loss to the Falcons with 11 total tackles (eight solo).

Fantasy Impact

Kuechly leads all Panthers with 114 tackles through Week 14. The eight-year LB veteran should still be viewed as an LB1 in all leagues.

Luke Kuechly finished Sunday’s loss to the Falcons with eight total tackles (four solo).

Fantasy Impact

Kuechly has not had double digits in tackles in a game since Week 8 against the 49ers. He has a team-leading 90 total tackles and two interceptions through Week 11. Fantasy owners are not benching the seven-year veteran, but dynasty IDP owners might want to consider trading Kuechly this offseason.