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Carolina Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu wants to keep a good thing going.
The fourth-year hog molly spoke with reporters following Thursday’s outing of training camp. He was asked about the importance of the continuity for the team’s offensive line.
“It’s definitely rare, retaining as many guys as we did,” he said. “So it’s definitely a blessing in that aspect. But I feel like it’s definitely a good opportunity for us to grow more and more, get more and more connected. I feel like the more time we spend together, we’re gonna play that much better and I’m definitely excited to have all those guys back.”
Keeping the band together was certainly a point of emphasis for the Carolina front office this past spring. The Panthers not only retained the entirety of the starting trench, but also brought back key pieces in Cade Mays and Brady Christensen—both of whom have lined up from multiple spots over their NFL tenures.
Ekwonu was later asked about keeping himself in Charlotte, as he’s up for a potential contract extension this offseason.
“Well, I’m not gonna talk timeline, obviously,” he replied. “I’ma let my agent handle that one, and everything like that. But I’ve always said I want to be here. People always say this is home for me. This is literally my home. Born and raised here, grew up a Panther fan. So definitely wanna wear that process blue as long as I can. So hopefully, we can definitely get something done.”
The Matthews, N.C. native was selected by the Panthers with the sixth overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft. He, of course, spent his three prior years at nearby North Carolina State University—where he was a unanimous All-American in 2021.
Ekwonu, who had his fifth-year option exercised back in April, is under contract with Carolina for the next two seasons.
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