7 Best Carolina Panthers of All Time, Ranked

The Carolina Panthers were established in 1995 as an expansion franchise and immediately saw some success. In their second season, they made it to the NFC championship. According to the NFL spreads, they were 12-point underdogs, losing to the Green Bay Packers 30-13.

Later, they made it to their first Super Bowl in 2003, losing to the New England Patriots. For football betting purposes, if you wagered on their spread as 7-point underdogs, you would’ve come out ahead, as they lost 32-29. 

With the rise of the legal online sportsbook since 2018, the Panthers have yet to enjoy that level of success, finishing fourth in the NFC South three times and second just once. 

Regardless, there have been a plethora of Hall of Fame-worthy players who have worn the Panthers uniform, and below, I’ll rank the seven best to ever do it.  

7 Best Carolina Panthers of All Time

1. Steve Smith Sr. 

Smith Sr. played in 182 games for the Panthers from 2001 to 2013. During that time, he saw 1,440 targets, caught 836 passes, had 12,197 receiving yards, and scored 67 touchdowns. 

As you’d expect, these are all Panthers records.

8️⃣9️⃣ was just different! pic.twitter.com/c4VUCwQ7zw

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 12, 2024

Smith Sr. also racked up several accolades during his Panthers days, including an NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2005. He was a two-time first-team All-Pro, a second-team All-Pro, and a five-time Pro Bowler. In 2005, he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns, yards, and receptions. In that 2005 season, he had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

2. Cam Newton

Newton is arguably the most dynamic quarterback the position has ever seen in the NFL’s history. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2011, and between 2013 and 2017, he led the team to four playoff appearances, including Super Bowl 50, where they lost to the Denver Broncos after going 15-1 in the regular season. 

He finished his Panthers playing days with 29,725 passing yards, 186 touchdown passes, 981 carries, 5,036 rushing yards, and 63 touchdowns. 

Those are all Panthers records except the carries (third) and rushing yards (third). 

Newton was the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2011. He also received accolades like first-team All-Pro, three Pro Bowls, and a Bert Bell Award.

Newton holds the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 75. 

3. Luke Kuechly

Kuechly had a short-lived NFL career, playing 118 games from 2012 to 2019. He retired at arguably the height of his stardom. Unfortunately, he dealt with a few too many concussions, which led to his decision to ultimately retire. 

He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, was a five-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time second-team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler, won three Butkus Awards, an Art Rooney Award, and led the league in combined tackles twice. 

On top of that, Kuechly holds the NFL record for most combined tackles in a game with 24. 

He finished his career with 18 interceptions, one pick six, seven forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, one fumble returned for a touchdown, 1,092 combined tackles, 690 solo tackles, 75 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks. 

4. Julius Peppers

Peppers played 10 seasons for the Panthers in total, starting and finishing his career there. He also had stints with Green Bay and Chicago. 

In 154 games with the Panthers, Peppers had six interceptions, two pick sixes, 34 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, one fumble returned for a touchdown, 107 tackles for loss, and 97 sacks. 

His 97 sacks are the most in Panther history, with close to 30 more than Charles Johnson. 

With the Panthers, he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, a two-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time first-team All-Pro, went to five Pro Bowls, is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, and was part of the PFWA All-Rookie Team. 

Peppers is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

5. Thomas Davis

Davis is the Panthers all-time leader in solo tackles with 789. He also racked up 309 assists, 87 tackles for loss, 13 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries, and 28 sacks. 

He was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014, a first-team All-Pro in 2015, went to three Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2017, and won the Bart Starr Award in 2016. 

6. Greg Olsen

After starting his career with the Chicago Bears, Olsen joined the Panthers in 2011 and remained there until 2019. He was a two-time second-team All-Pro and went to three Pro Bowls. 

In 126 games with the team, Olsen racked up 523 receptions, 6,463 yards, and 39 touchdowns. These are third in Panthers history. He had three straight seasons with 1,000+ yards from 2014-2016. 

7. Jordan Gross

Drafted No. 8 overall in 2003, Gross served as the key cog along the Panthers offensive line from 2003 to 2013. 

He played in 167 games and started all of them. 

He was a first-team All-Pro in 2008, went to three Pro Bowls in 2008, 2010, and 2013, was a member of the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2003, and is in the Panthers Hall of Honor.