It didn’t take long for the Carolina Panthers franchise to earn an NFL playoff berth. They made it to postseason play in the second season of the franchise. These days, they are trying to rebuild the franchise under a new quarterback, and hoping this will be the year he matures. And there is a somewhat rich history as this ranking of the 10 greatest Panthers of all time should show.
Carolina became an expansion franchise in 1995 and the Panthers established themselves quickly. In their first season, they finished 7-9, despite playing home games at Clemson University while awaiting the opening of their new stadium. It was the best opening-season record among all NFL expansion teams. They also became the first expansion franchise to defeat a reigning Super Bowl champion in its inaugural season. Carolina beat the San Francisco 49ers 13-7 for its fourth straight win after an 0-5 start.
The Panthers reached the Super Bowl twice, losing to New England in 2003 and Denver in 2015.
Here's the countdown, from 10 down to the No. 1 spot.
Where does QB Cam Newton fit on Panthers' all-time list
There's no doubt Newton belongs on this list. At one point, he had the franchise at the top of the NFL world. But this list isn't tilted toward a great season or two, and Newton won't find himself in the No. 1 position.
10. QB Jake Delhomme
One of the best things about Delhomme was his ability to get the Panthers on the winning side of the scoreboard. As a starter, his record with the Panthers was 53-37.
He started double-digit games five times and helped the Panthers reach — and nearly win — the 2003 Super Bowl. The Panthers lost to the Patriots 32-29 on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
In four different seasons, Delhomme threw for over 3,000 yards. And in 2004 he totaled 29 touchdown passes. He ranks second in franchise history in career passing yards (19,258) and passing touchdowns (120) and is first in career game-winning drives with 21.
9. LB Jon Beason
A robust start to his career put Beason in the top 10. A first-round pick in 2007 (No. 25 overall), Beason finished second in the AP defensive rookie of the year voting and totaled 140 tackles.
In 2008-09, he earned All-Pro honors, totaling 138 and 141 tackles, respectively. He also picked off three passes in each season.
After a pro-bowl year in 2010 where he had 121 stops, injuries derailed his career. He played sparingly in 2011 and 2012 before moving on to play with the New York Giants in 2013.
8. LB Thomas Davis
A first-round pick in 2005 (No. 14 overall), Davis contributed mightily in the tackle department during his 13 seasons with the Panthers. In six of those years, he topped the 100-tackle mark and finished with 1,216 stops in his career.
Also, he earned All-Pro in 2015 and captured three Pro Bowl honors. And Davis came up with big plays against the pass, totaling 13 career interceptions. He also forced 18 fumbles.
A knee injury interrupted the prime of his career. He missed the 2010 season and played only two games in 2011.
7. OT Jordan Gross
A first-round pick in 2003 (No. 18 overall), Gross became a fixture in the Panthers’ lineup. The 6-4, 305-pound tackle started every game eight times in 11 years. And in two other seasons, he started 15 games.
Gross earned three Pro Bowl honors and captured an All-Pro spot in 2008. His 167 starts are the most in Panthers’ history.
6. TE Greg Olsen
After four seasons in Chicago, Olsen came to the Panthers in 2011 and his career eventually took off.
He made the Pro Bowl three years in a row and twice earned second-team All-Pro honors. From 2014-16, Olsen topped the 1,000-yard mark, including a career-high 1,104 yards in 2015. Also, he caught 16 touchdown passes in that three-year span.
For his career, Olsen’s 8,683 yards ranks seventh on the all-time NFL list.
5. RB Christian McCaffrey
It’s a tough chore to slot McCaffrey onto an all-time list for the Panthers. First, he has to be in the mix because of two incredible seasons.
In 2018, he rushed for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 107 passes for 867 yards and six more scores. And in 2019, he came back with 1,387 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns while also hauling in 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four scores. He was All-Pro in both seasons and finished third in the AP offensive player of the year voting in 2019.
Then the injuries came. He played only 10 games over 2020 and 2021 combined. And after six games of the 2022 season, the Panthers traded him to San Francisco for four draft picks.
So the compromise is to include McCaffrey, but not too high on the list.
4. DE Julius Peppers
Had the beastly 6-foot-7, 295-pound Peppers played his entire career with the Panthers, he probably would have held the No. 1 spot.
Peppers spent his first eight seasons in Carolina and turned in great numbers. He moved on to play for the Bears and Packers before spending his last two seasons back in Carolina. By the time he finished his NFL career, Peppers had 159 1/2 sacks — the fourth most since they became official in 1982. He had 10 seasons with double-digit sacks. Only Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (13) and Reggie White (12) had more.
He burst onto the scene in 2002, winning AP defensive rookie of the year honors after a 12-sack campaign. In six seasons, he was either first or second team All-Pro.
Longtime teammate Steve Smith told nfl.com that Peppers provided more impact than just the sack stats.
“Yes, he had a ton of sacks and disruptive plays, but he constantly kept the edge, collapsed the pocket, sealed the edge to force the running back to bounce back inside,” Smith said. “And you know damn well that the quarterback always felt his presence. There are always those players who are special to play with, but Pep was in a league of his own.”
Hall of Famer Kurt Warner said, “He was one of those guys that you had to attack in a completely different way than every other defender.”
3. QB Cam Newton
The first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton found success from the get-go. He threw for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first season and rushed for 706 with 14 more scores. A new quarterback beast had arrived, and the Panthers had him. Of course, he won AP offensive rookie of the year, getting 47 of the 50 votes.
Newton hit his stride in a team sense in 2015. He guided the Panthers to a record of 15-1, throwing for 3,837 yards with 35 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. And the rushing totals remained with 10 scores and 636 yards.
After being chosen as the AP MVP and offensive player of the year that season, Newton’s success began to wane. He didn’t earn any postseason honors in any of his last six NFL seasons.
For his career, he finished with 32,383 yards and 194 touchdowns. He rushed for 5,631 yards with 75 touchdowns. Going into the 2024 season, the rushing scores are 22 better than second-place Josh Allen on the all-time NFL list.
2. WR Steve Smith Sr.
Longevity worked well for Smith placing high on this list.
Drafted in the third round in 2001, Smith spent 13 seasons in Carolina before finishing with three years in Baltimore. He ended with 14,731 yards receiving, good enough for a top-10 finish on the all-time NFL list (No. 8). And his 1,031 career receptions ranks No. 12. He had seven seasons of 1,000 yards receiving for the Panthers.
Smith’s best season was 2005, when he caught 103 passes for 1,563 yards. That was one of two All-Pro seasons, the other coming his rookie year when his 1,795 return yards (punt and kick) and three touchdowns earned him the honor.
Despite his size (5-9, 195 pounds), he was considered one of the NFL’s more physical players at the receiver position.
He also had a thrilling moment in 2003 during the Panthers’ run to the Super Bowl. He caught a 69-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme in overtime for the winning score.
1. LB Luke Kuechly
With the ninth pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select … their best-ever player,
Unfortunately for the Panthers, and really the entire NFL, the success story lasted only eight years. Kuechly retired at the age of 28 after starring in the league each season. He stepped out because of repeated concussions. Still only 33 years old, Kuechly might still be demoralizing offenses if health allowed.
Kuechly told nytimes.com he thinks his decision made sense.
“If you look back on it, Barry Sanders stepped away a couple of years early,” Kuechly said. “Calvin Johnson obviously stepped away. Gronk stepped away. I think it just happens at a different point for everybody.”
He said he doesn’t fixate on what his long-term health will be.
“I’m not worried about it, but I’m very aware of it,” Kuechly said. “Since I’ve got done playing, I’ve read a lot. I’ve done a lot of homework. I’ve talked to a lot of people. I think the biggest thing for me is a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, sleep well, exercise, be outside, have good relationships with people. Keep your mind active.”
Kuechly earned the AP defensive rookie of the year award in 2012, and followed up by winning defensive player of the year in 2013 — joining New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor as the only players to pull off those honors back to back.
He followed that up with All-Pro seasons each of his last six seasons, four of them on the first team.
In every season of his NFL career, Kuechly had over 100 tackles, including his career-high 164 as a rookie. Also, he had ballhawk capabilities and finished with 18 career interceptions.
Upon Kuechly’s retirement, teammate Greg Olsen said on Twitter, “Words can’t describe who Luke Kuechly is as a person, friend, and teammate. I feel honored to be his friend and I’ll always appreciate the impact he has had on my life.”
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