Kuechly officially joins Panthers' front office as pro scout

Luke Kuechly may have retired as a player, but he'll still be part of the Carolina Panthers moving forward.

The organization announced Thursday that the seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker will officially be joining the front office as a pro scout.

"During the season, it'll be player evaluation and then advance scouting stuff. So if we play a team next week, we've got to get everything set up and ready to go, so when the coaches come in Monday, they're not starting from square one," Kuechly said in the team's release.

The 29-year-old shocked the football world when he announced his retirement from football in January. While he had opportunities to join a broadcast booth, Kuechly said the chance to remain with the organization was too good to pass up.

"I explored some other things, and they were all really cool opportunities. But I like being around the team," Kuechly said. "I like being around Charlotte, I like the guys upstairs (in the front office), and this will give me, I think, the closest thing I can get to playing."