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While earning a contract extension in the NFL is undoubtedly a major personal achievement, Carolina Panthers wideout Jalen Coker reached his with others in mind.
On Friday, Coker inked his new deal—a three-year, $34 million addition to his existing pact that'll now take him through the 2029 campaign. The third-year receiver also spoke with Panthers.com upon making his agreement official, and admitted that keeping the talks under wraps was not easy.
"It definitely was hard to hide excitement that was slowly starting to build," Coker stated, via team reporter Kassidy Hill. "But at the same time I didn't want to make it too big to where it was distracting me from the work that we were putting in these past eight weeks."
Coker and the Panthers finished up an abbreviated mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, which followed up organized team activities from the two weeks prior. They'll reconvene for training camp in late July.
He continued.
"I feel like I did my best to put the team first in everything that I do, so I waited till the very, very last second before I told my family and all that stuff to get really excited, so it was a process, but obviously worth it," Coker added.
His process, at least with Carolina, began in the spring of 2024—when he signed to the organization as an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross. In the two seasons since, Coker has amassed 65 receptions for 872 yards and five touchdowns.
But if his last on-field offering is any indication, then the 24-year-old's best ball is ahead of him. Coker starred in the team's near-upset of the Los Angeles Rams in January's wild-card round appearance, totaling 134 yards and a late go-ahead score on nine catches.
So unlike his extension, Coker's breakout may not be much of a secret to those around him.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers WR Jalen Coker kept extension talks under wraps for weeks
Continue reading...
On Friday, Coker inked his new deal—a three-year, $34 million addition to his existing pact that'll now take him through the 2029 campaign. The third-year receiver also spoke with Panthers.com upon making his agreement official, and admitted that keeping the talks under wraps was not easy.
"It definitely was hard to hide excitement that was slowly starting to build," Coker stated, via team reporter Kassidy Hill. "But at the same time I didn't want to make it too big to where it was distracting me from the work that we were putting in these past eight weeks."
Coker and the Panthers finished up an abbreviated mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, which followed up organized team activities from the two weeks prior. They'll reconvene for training camp in late July.
He continued.
"I feel like I did my best to put the team first in everything that I do, so I waited till the very, very last second before I told my family and all that stuff to get really excited, so it was a process, but obviously worth it," Coker added.
His process, at least with Carolina, began in the spring of 2024—when he signed to the organization as an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross. In the two seasons since, Coker has amassed 65 receptions for 872 yards and five touchdowns.
But if his last on-field offering is any indication, then the 24-year-old's best ball is ahead of him. Coker starred in the team's near-upset of the Los Angeles Rams in January's wild-card round appearance, totaling 134 yards and a late go-ahead score on nine catches.
So unlike his extension, Coker's breakout may not be much of a secret to those around him.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers WR Jalen Coker kept extension talks under wraps for weeks
Continue reading...
