Stephen Weatherly #91 of the Minnesota Vikings tackles David Montgomery #32 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - It appears reserve defensive lineman Stephen Weatherly is moving on from the Minnesota Vikings.
Weatherly, an unrestricted free agent, has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $12.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. That’s according to a tweet from his agent, Blake Baratz.
Weatherly will get a chance to be a regular starter and contributor for the Panthers, something that never fully materialized with the Vikings. He played in 16 games in each of the past two seasons, had one start this past year and recorded three sacks. He finished the 2019 season with 24 tackles, five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits.
Two years ago, he made six starts on the defensive line and had a career-high 35 tackles, three sacks, a pass defended and forced a fumble. He also had six tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.