Panthers To Sign LB Bobby Okereke

Bobby Okereke‘s free agency stay will end with a Carolina commitment, The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reports. The sides agreed on a one-year contract, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets, adding the team had been looking into off-ball linebacker help for a while.

The Giants made Okereke a cap casualty early in John Harbaugh‘s tenure, replacing him with Bears cap cut Tremaine Edmunds. Okereke looks likely to be a Panthers starter before too long, as the team’s competition for the role alongside Devin Lloyd has not been especially impressive.

Carolina had pitted two-year starter Trevin Wallace against special-teamer Claudin Cherelus during training camp, but neither player distinguished himself as a strong option next to Lloyd. The Panthers had a few options in free agency — including future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner — but Okereke is among the best available. Wagner, 36, also can be expected to be choosey as his career winds down. Matt Milano and 10-year Panther Shaq Thompson are also unsigned.

A former Colts third-round pick, Okereke played three seasons on a four-year, $40MM Giants contract. The team turned to Okereke as a three-down player beginning in 2023, and the veteran enjoyed a productive tenure. He cleared 140 tackles in both 2023 and 2025 and combined for seven forced fumbles from 2023-24. That ties Jessie Bates and ex-Okereke Colts teammate Zaire Franklin for the most FFs by a non-pass rusher in that span.

Pro Football Focus graded Okereke as a top-15 off-ball LB in 2023 and ’24 but charted him outside the top 50 last season. Okereke started 17 games in 2025 and intercepted two passes. He was not as active in the backfield, however; after combining for 17 tackles for loss from 2023-24, Okereke totaled just two last season. A Giants team facing a cap crunch moved on and loaded up at the position, giving Edmunds a higher AAV ($12MM) than Okereke and slotting No. 5 overall pick Arvell Reese at ILB.

Going into an age-30 season, Okereke has 95 career starts. Wallace, a 2024 third-round pick, has 20 on his resume. PFF viewed Wallace as the league’s fifth-worst run defender among off-ball LBs last season. Cherelus re-signed with the team this offseason (one year, $1.3MM) but has been mostly a special teams presence in his career. Okereke getting up to speed stands to help Carolina’s starting lineup and depth situation, moving Wallace and Cherelus to second-stringers and giving Lloyd a proven sidekick.