CHARLOTTE — The Panthers finished the first day of the free agency negotiating period the same way they started it; addressing the defense.

According to multiple reports, including from NFL Network, the Panthers agreed to terms with Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton on Monday. Deals can't be official until the league year begins Wednesday at 4 p.m.

Wharton is a former undrafted free agent who earned a starting role with the Chiefs. After five seasons in Kansas City, he will come to Charlotte with two Super Bowl rings for his first longterm deal.

Get to know Wharton with these fast five facts.

A Missouri Kid

For his entire life, Wharton has been a Missouri kid through and through. He grew up in University City, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. He attended college at a small school, Missouri S&T (Division II), and earned a spot in the East-West Shrine Game. There, he caught the eye of several teams, but elected to sign with the Chiefs, since the team was close to home and his family would be able to see him play.

Now for the first time, Wharton will be leaving the Show Me State, after earning a long-term contract.

Prove It Deals Garners Recognition

Wharton was an undrafted free agent out of a small school. By the end of his first training camp however, he'd earned a spot on the roster. Now, he leaves Kansas City as someone who became an integral part to the Chiefs defensive front over the last five seasons. Wharton appeared in 85 games (including postseason), with 15 starts.

During that time, he's racked up 17.5 sacks (13.5 in the regular season) including 8.5 this past season, which was second most on the Chiefs defense. The 6.5 sacks during the regular season were 14th most among defensive tackles, according to Next Gen Stats.

He also dropped into coverage 10 times, the seventh most times a defensive tackle was asked to do so.

Bounce Back From ACL

Wharton suffered a ACL tear in the 2022 season, after appearing in only five tames. While it ended his season early, he still received a ring for the Chiefs Super Bowl win that season, and was back on the field by the next year.

That season, the Chiefs won another ring, after defeating the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. Wharton had one tackle in that game.

Shoutouts From Two Greats

Free agency always sees a lot of movement and jersey swaps. It's known the time is coming and often who will be saying goodbye to their former teams, so well wishes can be done ahead of time or lost in the shuffle. When news broke of Wharton's signing though, two of the game's greats took a moment to congratulate Wharton publicly.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones both sent their well wishes to Wharton on Twitter.

A Custom Sneaker Head

Wharton is a sneaker head, and even more so, a custom sneaker head. The 26 year old often posts pictures on social media of the sneakers he has turned into works of art to wear before games. He even has sneakers made for certain times of year, with a specialty Grinch design during the most recent holiday season.