We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
There are 37 days left until the first game of the regular season for the Carolina Panthers. With that, today’s countdown post is dedicated to player number 37. Naturally, a number as obscure and random as 37 belongs to a kicker. That kicker is Matthew Wright.
Wright is about as well traveled a journeyman as you’ll ever find in any professional sport. He went undrafted after a standout career at UCF but signed on with the Steelers for camp. He didn’t make their roster and was released as part of the final cutdown at the end of preseason. That was just his first of 18 stops over the six-and-a-half years since he left college. In order:
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2019)*
- Tampa Bay Vipers (2020)*
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2020)
- Detroit Lions (2021)*
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2021)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2022)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2022)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2022)
- Carolina Panthers (2023)*
- San Francisco 49ers (2023)*
- Atlanta Falcons (2023)*
- New England Patriots (2023)*
- Carolina Panthers (2023)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2024)*
- San Francisco 49ers (2024)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2024)
- Tennessee Titans (2024)
- Carolina Panthers (2025–present)
As you can see, he’s clearly established himself as a mercenary kicker that’ll do a decent job filling in if your regular kicker is on the shelf for a few weeks. This is his third stint as a Panther, but this is his first real shot to lock in the position. He’s competing with rookie Ryan Fitzgerald, who was highly regarded coming into the draft but is still an undrafted rookie.