Former Panthers LB A.J. Klein Announces Retirement

An end to a rock solid career for the Panthers' 2013 fifth-round pick.

Schuyler Callihan | Jul 31, 2024

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

Expectations for fifth-round draft picks are fairly low, but there are several players picked on day three of the draft who end up being home runs. A.J. Klein may not qualify for that title, but he's pretty darn close.

After an 11-year career in the NFL, Klein announced on Instagram that he will be retiring from the game.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AJ Klein (@ajklein47)

Klein spent the first four years of his career with the Panthers and contributed to the team's 15-1 season in 2015 and that group's run to Super Bowl. That year, he appeared in 15 games and made six starts, totaling 55 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two QB hits, an interception, and a sack.

Following the 2016 season, Klein signed a deal with NFC South division foe New Orleans where he would be a full-time starter for three years. He then spent parts of three seasons with the Buffalo Bills while having a cup of coffee with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens in 2022. Klein rejoined the Bills last season, but only saw action in two games and did not record any stats.

For his career, Klein tallied 465 tackles, 45 tackles for loss, 27 QB hits, 15.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and four interceptions.

MORE STORIES FROM PANTHERS ON SI