What’s next for Brady Christensen? Longtime Panthers lineman dishes on future
Brady Christensen is ready to work.
The veteran offensive lineman told The Charlotte Observer that he was cleared for contact by his doctors on Tuesday after undergoing season-ending Achilles surgery in October. And now, after waiting on the free-agent market for nearly four months, the longtime Carolina Panthers blocker wants to find the right opportunity for 2026. He’s open to returning to Mint Street for a sixth season, but Christensen isn’t limiting his options after the third major injury of his NFL career.
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“I’m always looking for the best opportunity, not only for me, but for my family as well,” Christensen said. “In the NFL, especially on the O-Line, you don’t have a long career, so you’re always looking for that best opportunity. The next opportunity to get back on the field, have good games, have good film, so you can keep going from there.”
Christensen, 29, can play anywhere on the offensive line. He’s been used at all five positions during his Panthers career. And that versatility should make him appealing on the free-agent market, especially as teams get ready to host their annual training camps later this month.
But Christensen is self-aware. He knows his injury history — which includes rehab stints for a broken ankle and torn biceps — might still impact his market, even if he’s been given the green light on his latest — and arguably most significant — ailment.
“I think my ideal situation is to go in and compete,” Christensen said. “I don’t care about what position I play; I feel comfortable everywhere now. So the ideal situation is just go and compete and find the field again. Being able to play on Sundays is my goal.”
Christensen has spoken with the Panthers throughout his rehabilitation process. He worked with the team’s trainers until March when the new league year began, which made him a free agent.
Since then, he’s been receiving physical therapy treatment in Charlotte at Performance Rehab Associates, which is co-owned by Panthers team chiropractor, Nevin Markel. And he’s also been training with Jed Hartigan of Velocity Sports Performance in Pineville to get stronger before putting pen to paper with his next employer.
Christensen’s career outlook remains fluid, even if he wouldn’t mind staying put.
“I’ve kept in contact with the Panthers,” Christensen said. “They’ve been amazing throughout my whole career, this process. Yeah, so we’re still in contact. Excited to see where that goes.”
Christensen said his agents have heard from a handful of teams since the start of free agency.
According to the lineman, entering the open market following Achilles surgery was initially tough on him mentally. He was unable to work up to his standard in March.
So, he took his time. And as he rebuilt himself physically, he took the burden of finding a team off his plate.
“Three months ago I wasn’t myself, and so now I feel like I’m really myself and excited to show what I got,” Christensen said.
Working with Hartigan has helped Christensen get back into playing shape.
Alongside Hartigan’s other clients, like former N.C. State standouts and current NFL players, B.J. Hill and Germaine Pratt, Christensen has been put through a rigorous routine of drills several times a week to enhance his surgically repaired right Achilles and improve his core and upper-body strength.
Hartigan, the owner and director of sports performance of Velocity Sports Performance, put Christensen through Gears Sports analytics testing last week. The longtime trainer said Christensen’s progress was around two months ahead of schedule for a typical Achilles tendon repair and his testing numbers were in lockstep with an enhanced recovery timeline, even before Christensen received his final clearance from his physicians.
On top of impressive strength testing numbers, Harting said Christensen ran a 1.67-second 10-yard split at 310 pounds, which is eight pounds heavier than what the lineman was listed as during the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine.
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“His right calf, which is … the one we’ve been working on, that’s actually around 4% stronger (based on 347 pounds of force on a single-calf raise) than the left calf (335 pounds of force) at this point,” Harting said. “So, that’s a good thing — that’s unheard of at the 7-month mark, but he did that.”
Christensen’s rehabilitation process has been arduous. But the routine has been a welcomed distraction for the free agent.
The lineman wants to find out what’s next as much as anyone, but he also understands that he needed time to find the best situation for him.
“I wanted to be patient,” Christensen said. “I want a good opportunity. I’m excited to get back on the field and kind of continue on the success I had last year. And I’m just really excited to prove myself, stay healthy, and just really have a good rest of my second half of my career, however long that may be. I’m excited to get back out there.”
Christensen took a cart ride at Bank of America Stadium during a 40-9 shellacking by the Buffalo Bills in Week 8 of last season.
The fill-in starting right guard was in the midst of his most impressive stretch as a pro when his right Achilles ruptured in the Panthers’ blowout loss. After signing a one-year contract during last year’s free agency, it seemed like Christensen had proven himself as being a valuable sixth man in the Carolina trenches, but the latest ailment put a damper on his future with his only NFL franchise.
The murkiness of the injury bled into free agency and Christensen’s Carolina future remains unsettled, despite the team’s unproven depth options on the line, particularly at guard.
And while Christensen and his family have made their year-round home in the Charlotte area, the versatile lineman understands his next move might be the most important of his career. He needs to find an avenue for playing time on a team that will make the most of his skill set.
The Panthers have routinely mixed and matched their starting lineups around injuries, and those decisions haven’t always favored Christensen, even when he’s been healthy. So, the 2021 third-round pick is keeping his options open.
He’s also not fixated on a specific position.
“I pride myself on being a team-first player, and I feel like I’ve been that with the Panthers for the past five years,” Christensen said. “If the center goes down, but I’m playing tackle, I’ll go play center. And if the guard goes down, and I’m playing center, I’ll go to guard.”
Christensen said he felt like he could have been cleared for contact in June, but July 7 was always the date marked on his calendar. That’s when Christensen said he knew he’d be ready to take on the physicality of an NFL training camp.
He didn’t want to sign with a team until he got clearance from his doctors, and now he has the go-ahead for football drills.
“I feel great,” Christensen said. “I feel normal, ready to go — ready to get back on the field. It’s been amazing, just the whole process, the surgery, the new surgery they have. The rehab, my program, all my physical therapists, my trainer — I feel like they’ve just got me in a really good spot to be at full strength and not even have to worry about it.”
Whether it’s in Carolina or elsewhere, Christensen should get another chance to be a versatile piece of an offensive line puzzle this summer. He’s eager to prove himself, and he feels like he’s in good shape to do so.
It’s now on the league, or even just one team, to offer him the chance to make good on his latest injury comeback attempt.
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 1:17 PM.
