Houston Roughnecks star quarterback signs with Carolina Panthers

HOUSTON, Texas -- XFL star quarterback P.J. Walker has confirmed to ESPN that he will sign with the Carolina Panthers.

Walker will become the first XFL player to join an NFL team since the upstart football league announced Friday that its inaugural season had been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The signing will reunite Walker with Panthers first-year coach Matt Rhule, who coached Walker for four years at Temple.

The 5-foot-11 Walker was one of the XFL's top players this season and led the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 record. He led the league in passing yards (1,338 yards) and passing touchdowns (15).

Walker joins a Panthers team that is in the midst of a transition at the quarterback position as Rhule prepares for his first season in the NFL. The Panthers have agreed to sign Teddy Bridgewater while allowing former NFL MVP Cam Newton to explore options for a trade.

Walker was one of the best players in Temple history and led the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016. He is the school's all-time leader in virtually every passing statistic, including yards (10,668), touchdowns (74) and completions (830).

Temple went 28-19 in games started by Walker, who was the starting quarterback for all 28 of Rhule's wins at the school.

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