Wharton is in line to sign a three-year, $54 million contract with the Panthers, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. Wharton will head to Carolina after spending the first five years of his NFL tenure in Kansas City. He's coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which he logged 29 tackles (18 solo), including a career-high 6.5 sacks, two pass defenses and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games. Wharton and Derrick Brown (knee) will serve as the Panthers' key pieces on the defensive front for the 2025 campaign and beyond.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Tershawn Wharton news
Team
Carolina Panthers
Birthdate
6/25/1998 (26)
Status
Active
HT/WT
6'1", 280 lbs
Birthplace
University City, MO, USA
Position
DT
College
Missouri S&T
Experience
5 seasons
Career History
Kansas City Chiefs
2020-2025
(5 seasons)
Wharton is in line to sign a three-year, $54 million contract with the Panthers, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. Wharton will head to Carolina after spending the first five years of his NFL tenure in Kansas City. He's coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which he logged 29 tackles (18 solo), including a career-high 6.5 sacks, two pass defenses and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games. Wharton and Derrick Brown (knee) will serve as the Panthers' key pieces on the defensive front for the 2025 campaign and beyond.
Wharton finished with career highs in tackles (29), sacks (6.5) and pass breakups (two) during the 2024 regular season. The defensive tackle also played in all 17 regular-season games and in all three of Kansas City's playoff contests. Wharton has played on one-year deals in each of the last two seasons, though he started 12 times in 2024 between the regular season and playoffs, the first season in his career in which he started more than once. The career Chief will be an unrestricted free agent come March.
Wharton recorded three solo tackles, including 2.0 sacks, in Sunday's 19-17 win over the Chargers. The defensive tackle is now up to 4.5 sacks, and 22 total tackles (14 solo), in 2024. He also has two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Though Wharton is a starter, he remains in a rotational role, having yet to play on 80 percent of the defensive snaps in a game this season.
Wharton (knee) is not on the Chiefs' inactive list for Sunday's game against the Broncos. Wharton missed the first two practices of the week due to a knee injury, but he earned the questionable tag after logging a limited session Friday and will play Sunday. Wharton has logged four tackles (three solo), including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defense in the Chiefs' three games since the Week 6 bye.
Wharton (knee) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Broncos. Wharton upgraded to limited participation Friday after opening Kansas City's week of practice with consecutive DNPs, so he appears to be trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday. However, if the 26-year-old is unable to play in Week 10, expect Marlon Tuipulotu to see increased work as one of the Chiefs' top rotational interior defensive linemen.
Wharton re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year, $2.75 million contract Thursday, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports. Wharton has been a regular on the interior of Kansas City's defensive line in each of the past four seasons since going undrafted out of Missouri S&T. That trend should continue in 2024 for a fifth season after a 2023 campaign that saw him record 21 combined tackles, including 2.0 sacks, on 385 defensive snaps across 17 regular-season contests.