When Mike Macdonald took the head coaching job the Seattle Seahawks bringing in veteran quarterback talent became a priority.
That included a brief stint for longtime journeyman quarterback P.J. Walker, who spent training camp with the team in 2024. Walker is retiring from football, according to NFL reporter Ari Meirov on Thursday.
Seattle signed him in June 2024 as the third quarterback on the roster in 2024 when the quarterback room consisted of Geno Smith and Sam Howell. The Seahawks ultimately released him in August 2024 during the final roster cuts.
Walker then spent the 2024 season with the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL as a member of the team’s practice squad. He made one start for the Stampeders in 2025, and he threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns versus four picks that season.
An undrafted free agent from Temple in 2017, Walker bounced around the league on practice squads and as a backup. He completed 54.6% of his passes for 2,135 yards and six touchdowns for his career in 21 game appearances. Walker also rushed for 80 yards on 31 carries in that span.
Seattle only carried two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster for 2024, and the Seahawks notably parted ways with both after the season. That made way for Sam Darnold as the starter and Jalen Milroe as the backup in 2025 when the team won the Super Bowl.
P.J. Walker Waited to Play
While Walker played with four different teams between 2017 and 2023, the Seahawks only saw him once.
Walker went 15-31 with 248 yards and a touchdown versus two interceptions against the Seahawks in 2023 when he played for the Cleveland Browns. He started two games for the Browns that year and nine games overall.
An Elizabeth, New Jersey, native, Walker became a prep star at Elizabeth High School before he joined Temple in 2013. Walker completed 56.9% of his passes for 10,668 yards and 74 touchdowns versus 44 picks in four seasons with the Owls.
The Indianapolis Colts gave Walker his first shot in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. He spent the entire time as a practice squad member during a major time of transition for the team between 2017 and 2019.
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck retired last minute before the 2019 season, but the Colts didn’t feel the need for Walker when it came to quarterback depth. Indianapolis released him in August that year, instead.
Walker then played for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in 2020, where he enjoyed his most notable professional career success. He went 5-0 with 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns before COVID-19 shelved the season in March that year.
P.J. Walker’s Opportunity Arrived in Sam Darnold’s Old Stomping Grounds
His journey then took him to the Carolina Panthers in 2020, where he had seven starts over three seasons. Walker’s time there notably coincided with Darnold’s Panthers stint between 2021 and 2022.
Playing time came Walker’s way when former quarterback Teddy Bridgewater when down in a 2020 game. Walker also had five starts in 2022 when former quarterback Baker Mayfield went down, and the Panthers weren’t playing Darnold at the time.
Afterward, Walker signed with the Chicago Bears, but that proved short-lived with an August 2023 release. Walker then signed with the Browns and found playing there one last time in the league.
Former Seahawks QB Announces Major Career News