Former Seahawks first-round pick retires
Jul 30, 2024, 11:48 AM
Rashaad Penny runs the ball while playing for the Seattle Seahawks during a 2022 game. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
(Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Former Seattle Seahawks first-round pick Rashaad Penny is calling it a career after six seasons in the NFL.
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The Carolina Panthers placed Penny on the reserve/retired list Tuesday. Head coach Dave Canales, a former Seahawks assistant who coached Penny in Seattle, confirmed reports that the 28-year-old San Diego State product is retiring during the team’s practice Tuesday.
“He just felt like he wasn’t himself and I have to respect that going forward,” Canales said.
Seattle selected Penny with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2018 draft. He showed flashes of the ability that made him a first-rounder during his time in the Pacific Northwest, but staying healthy was a challenge.
Penny totaled 1,918 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per carry during his five seasons in Seattle. He broke out during the 2021 season with 749 yards and and six TDs on the ground in just 10 games (six starts) while shouldering the load late in the season for injured standout Chris Carson. Penny signed a one-year, $5.7 million deal with the Seahawks the following offseason, but played just three games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending broken fibula.
The Norwalk, Calif., native played more than 10 games just once during his career and missed 40 total games during his five-year tenure with Seattle.
Penny signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, but registered just 33 yards on 11 carries while sitting behind D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott in a deep Eagles running back room.
Penny signed a one-year deal with the Panthers in May.
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