The Carolina Panthers are about to celebrate their 25th season as a member of the National Football League. It just so happens that the league is also celebrating its 100th season. So in honor of all this, Panthers Wire is ranking the top 25 players in franchise history.
The list begins with one of the best linebackers in team history.
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25. LB Dan Morgan (2001-2007)
Morgan helped kick off a string of fantastic middle linebackers for the Panthers. He didn’t start there, though. Morgan spent his rookie season at both strongside and weakside linebacker before moving inside. He became a force in the middle, eventually making 18 tackles in Super Bowl XXXVIII, a record that still stands. Morgan spent just six years in Carolina, but they were six outstanding years. He is currently director of player personnel for the Bills.
24. OL Travelle Wharton (2004-2011, 2013)
Carolina was fortunate to have two solid anchors on its offensive line during the 2000s. Jordan Gross was one of them, and Wharton was the other. Wharton worked his way into the starting lineup as a rookie and became an important cog in the unit for the next several years. Wharton went on to play 115 games (111 starts), the third-most for a Panthers offensive lineman. After one year away from Carolina in 2012, when he was with the Bengals, Wharton returned for a final season in 2013. Wharton currently serves as an assistant on the Panthers coaching staff.
23. DT Kawann Short (2013-present)
Short is still writing his story, despite already establishing himself as a face of the franchise. He was drafted after Star Lotulelei but has proved more valuable than the former first-round pick. That’s why Short received a long-term contract from the Panthers, and Lotulelei is gone. The two games Short missed in 2018 are the only games he has missed in his career, which is now entering Year 7. He has gone to the Pro Bowl twice and ranks No. 7 on Carolina’s all-time sack list with 32.5. He only needs two more to move up to No. 6.
22. LB Jon Beason (2007-2013)
Before Luke Kuechly became the leader in the middle of the Panthers’ defense, it was Beason running the show. Beason was a tackling machine prior to injuring his Achilles in 2011. He had at least 121 total tackles in each of his first four seasons. Beason tried to bounce back as an outside linebacker but ultimately was benched in favor of Chase Blackburn and later traded to the Giants. In the end, injuries ruined what could have been a great career for Beason, but he still ranks No. 4 in franchise history with 583 tackles.
21. LB Kevin Greene (1996, 1998-1999)
Greene only spent three of his 15 NFL seasons with the Panthers, but they were three of his best. In 1996, he recorded 14.5 sacks – the most since he had 16.5 in 1989 with the Rams. He also had 51 tackles, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries en route a spot on the All-Pro first team. Greene ranks fifth in franchise history with 41.5 career sacks. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
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20. CB Chris Gamble (2004-2012)
Gamble wasted no time endearing himself to Panthers fans after being the No. 28 overall pick in the 2004 draft. He became the first Carolina defensive rookie to start all 16 games. Gamble is still the team’s all-time interception leader with 27.
19. DT Kris Jenkins (2001-2007)
Jenkins played 85 games in Carolina, totaling 20.5 sacks and 47 tackles for loss. Eventually, he was traded to the Jets, and injuries ended his career prematurely — he suffered ACL injuries in 2009 and 2010. But he was dominant early in his career, earning four trips to the Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections.
18. DE Mike Rucker (1999-2007)
After riding the bench for two seasons, Rucker took over as a starter in 2001 and began terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. That season began a run of three straight years with at least nine sacks. Rucker spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Panthers, missing only five games and registering 55.5 sacks. That ranks third on the team’s all-time list behind Julius Peppers and Charles Johnson.
17. RB DeAngelo Williams (2006-2014)
With 6,846 yards, Williams still stands as the No. 2 all-time rusher for the Panthers, and he provided a lot of memorable moments during his nine years with the team. The end of his time in Charlotte is masked with bitterness, but the former first-round pick is among the best offensive players in franchise history.
16. DE Charles Johnson (2007-2017)
Johnson initially had to earn his keep behind the legendary combination of Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker. But when he finally got his opportunity, Johnson took off and never looked back. Johnson was fortunate enough to spend his entire 11-season career with the Panthers and finished with 67.5 sacks, ranking second behind Peppers in franchise history.
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15. RB Jonathan Stewart (2008-2017)
Nagging injuries kept Stewart from becoming a superstar, but he’s still the franchise’s leading rusher with 7,318 yards. Stewart and DeAngelo Williams to form one of the most effective running back duos of the last two decades. After spending a quiet 2018 season with the Giants, he signed a one-day contract in Carolina to retire with the team that drafted him.
14. S Mike Minter (1997-2006)
Few players in Panthers history have been as consistent as Minter. He averaged 78 tackles per season, including a career-high 116 in 2000. His 14 tackles in Super Bowl XXXVIII still rank second in Super Bowl history, behind only teammate Dan Morgan. Knee injuries forced him to retire in 2007, but he finished as Carolina’s all-time leader in starts (141) and consecutive starts (91) at the time of his retirement.
13. TE Wesley Walls (1996-2002)
In seven years with the team, Walls caught 324 passes for 3,902 yards and 44 touchdowns, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl in the process. Walls did all this after he had already spent five years in the league, three with San Francisco and two with New Orleans. Walls earned a well-deserved place in the team’s Hall of Honor, which will be revealed later this year.
12. TE Greg Olsen (2011-present)
Before injuries ate up most of his 2017 and 2018 seasons, Olsen had a run of at least 69 catches in five consecutive seasons, and he posted three straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He is one of the most reliable receivers that quarterback Cam Newton has had in his career. Olsen ranks third on the team’s all-time receiving list, behind only Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad.
11. WR Muhsin Muhammad (1996-2004, 2008-2009)
He was the man before Steve Smith arrived, and when Smith wasn’t around, Muhammad took his game to another level. Muhammad had two 1,000-yard seasons prior to Smith joining the Panthers. When Smith missed all but one game in 2004, Muhammad took the league’s receiving title with 1,405 yards, six yards ahead of New Orleans’ Joe Horn, and was named to the All-Pro first team.
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10. K John Kasay (1995-2010)
The first kicker the team ever had, Kasay played 15 seasons in Carolina. Kasay’s time in the NFL also included four years in Seattle and one year in New Orleans, but he definitely belongs to the Panthers. He’s the franchise’s leading scorer by a wide margin, with 1,482 points.
9. QB Jake Delhomme (2003-2009)
In his first season as a starter, Delhomme took the team to Super Bowl XXXVIII, just two years after the team went 1-15. His numbers may not have been the prettiest, but his impact was undeniable. Delhomme was the franchise’s leader in career passing yards, passing attempts, completions and touchdown passes before Cam Newton’s arrival.
8. OT Jordan Gross (2003-2013)
No one has ever played left tackle for the Panthers better than Gross. He was a model of consistency and toughness, only missing nine games over 11 seasons while spending the majority of his career on the blind side. Gross left behind quite a legacy in Charlotte. Six seasons after his retirement, Carolina is still trying to find a suitable successor to the three-time Pro Bowler.
7. C Ryan Kalil (2007-2018)
Kalil came into the league in 2007, took over the center position in 2008 and became the anchor of the Panthers’ offensive line for the next 11 seasons, earning first-team All-Pro honors twice and getting selected to five Pro Bowls. He surprised everyone by reversing course on his retirement and recently signing with the New York Jets. Nevertheless, Kalil has a special place in the history of this franchise as one of its greatest leaders.
6. LB Sam Mills (1995-1997)
Mills only played three seasons for the Panthers, but they were the franchise’s first three years in the NFL. Mills came over from the Saints after spending the first nine years of his career in New Orleans. He immediately became an integral part of Carolina’s defense, starting every game over those three years and posting 331 tackles as a Panther. Mills died of intestinal cancer in 2005, but his impact on the team will live forever. The Panthers adopted their “Keep Pounding” motto in his honor.
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5. LB Thomas Davis (2005-2018)
Davis, the only Panther to be named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, was a three-time Pro Bowler and the owner of one of the most remarkable stories of any player to come through the NFL. Many players struggle to get back to their peak performance after just one ACL tear. Davis has recovered from three such injuries and is still playing at a remarkably high level. He’ll be suiting up for the Chargers this year at age 36.
4. LB Luke Kuechly (2012-present)
Kuechly has been named first-team All-Pro five times and has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past six seasons. Kuechly already ranks second on the Panthers’ all-time tackles list with 1,086 and needs just 173 more to pass Thomas Davis.
3. WR Steve Smith (2001-2013)
During 13 outstanding years in Carolina, the electric Smith caught 836 passes for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns. Including three years with the Ravens, he ranks No. 8 all-time on the NFL’s career receiving yards list and No. 12 on the career receptions list. Smith’s tenacity and intensity won the hearts of Panthers fans and has made him one of the most popular players in franchise history. He’ll take his rightful place in the Hall of Honor later this year.
2. DE Julius Peppers (2002-2009, 2017-2018)
When you think about all-time great Panthers, Peppers immediately comes to mind. What he brought to the table in every aspect of the game is truly incredible and at times heartwarming. There are few individuals like Peppers in football. He called it a career after last season, stepping away from the game as the team’s all-time sack leader with 97. Including his time with the Bears and Packers, he ranks fourth in NFL history with 159.5 sacks.
1. QB Cam Newton (2011-present)
He’s the face of the franchise. Not just today, but forever. No one, in the 25 years of Panthers football, has helped shape the franchise more than Newton. He’s the first and only Panthers player to be named NFL MVP, having led Carolina to the Super Bowl after the 2015 season, and is the league’s active leader in rushing yards among quarterbacks. Newton has thrown for 182 touchdowns and rushed for 58 more in his career. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2011, 2013 and 2015, a season in which he earned All-Pro honors.
