The NFL offseason is showing zero signs of slowing down as each phase of the spring flies by. The Green Bay Packers held a successful rookie minicamp over the weekend following a strong NFL draft performance, meaning the coaching staff and front office's attention is officially on the organized team activities (OTAs) that will begin in a few weeks.
The eventual arrival of OTAs means that teams around the NFL are already beginning to trim roster fat to help make their respective head coaches' jobs as easy as possible. Several players have already been kicked to the curb in the last few days alone, including a former Packers receiver.
Former Packers WR T.J. Luther Cut by Panthers Before OTAs
On Thursday, the Charlotte Observer's Mike Kaye reported that wide receiver T.J. Luther was a part of the Carolina Panthers' latest roster cuts. Packers fans will remember the Port Charlotte, FL native from his brief stint with the team last season.
The #Panthers are cutting WR TJ Luther, DT Jerrod Clark and DT Popo Aumavae.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) May 8, 2025
This is in addition to Jadeveon Clowney, Colin Granger, Jordan Matthews, Dax Milne and Andrew Raym, as @theobserver previously reported,
The NFL is a cutthroat business, and Luther learned that the hard way. Having said that, it's already the second time that the 24-year-old receiver has been waived to begin his young professional career.
Luther is looking to cut his teeth in the NFL after going undrafted in 2023. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound playmaker showed some upside after transferring from Wofford to Gardner-Webb in 2021, hauling in 86 receptions for 1,550 yards and 12 touchdowns in 20 games with the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Unfortunately, similar success hasn't followed Luther into the NFL. He's already spent time with five organizations since joining the New York Jets as an undrafted talent in 2023, which includes his one-month stay on the Packers' practice squad from Sept. 10 to Oct. 19 of last year. He spent the remainder of the campaign with the Panthers but never ended up playing a game.
After the Panthers added Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Colorado's Jimmy Horn through the draft, it became clear that Luther was no longer needed.
With league-wide OTAs beginning in just a few short weeks, the pressure is on Luther to find his next opportunity. Although his NFL career has been bumpy thus far, to say the least, the fact that he's only turning 25 years old this month could convince a WR-needy team to give him a shot.
Packers fans will have a good idea of how their current crop of receivers is shaping up when head coach Matt LaFleur & Co. begin this year's OTAs on Tuesday, May 27.