Panthers RB Rashaad Penny Retiring From NFL After Six Seasons

Carolina Panthers running back Rashaad Penny is retiring from the NFL after six seasons, according to multiple reports. The Panthers placed Penny on the reserve/retired list Tuesday and signed undrafted rookie wide receiver Tayvion Robinson in a corresponding move.

Carolina Panthers running back Rashaad Penny informed head coach Dave Canales about his decision to retire yesterday

His decision to retire comes a few days after he told Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer that he can still be one of the best running backs in the NFL.

“I’ve always believed in myself, knowing my capabilities,” Penny said. “I think everybody else knows that when I’m healthy, I’m probably, like, a top running back in the league. I know my place, and I know what I can do. So, I just keep striving from there.”

Penny, 28, signed with the Panthers in May, reuniting him with coach Dave Canales. He had his best season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021, when Canales was the passing game coordinator and new Carolina offensive coordinator Brad Idzik was an offensive assistant.

The 5-foot-11, 202-pounder rushed 119 times for 749 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. He approached Canales about his decision to hang up his cleats yesterday afternoon, Canales told reporters.

Penny was selected 27th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL draft out of San Diego State

“It was a really cool opportunity for me to see if we could get him to that kind of look. I know Rashaad at his best,” Canales said. “He came up and just felt like he wasn’t himself and I had to respect that going forward.

“I don’t understand what that’s like to have a feel, a vision, and wanting your body to do exactly what you tell it to do and it just not responding the right way. I was glad to be a part of this process with him just because I’ve known him for so long and I wish Rashaad the best.”

Penny played last season for the Philadelphia Eagles, but he appeared in just three games and rushed 11 times for 33 yards. He was selected 27th overall by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft out of San Diego State.

In 45 career games (11 starts), he has rushed for 1,951 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career. His 5.6 yards per attempt ranks third among all running backs since 2018, behind only De’Von Achane (7.8) and J.K. Dobbins (5.8).

Injuries likely influenced his decision to retire. Penny only appeared in 45 out of a possible 99 regular-season games over the past six years. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 season and sustained a season-ending broken fibula in 2022.