Tag: Panthers

Jan 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) on the field in the 2014 NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Cardinals, Panthers paired in Hall of Fame Game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Before the 2026 Hall of Fame Class is enshrined in Canton, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals start the NFL preseason on Aug. 6.

Carolina is playing in the exhibition opener in Ohio for the first time since the inaugural season of the franchise and was chosen to be on hand for linebacker Luke Kuechly’s induction two days later.

The Cardinals are also participating in the Hall of Fame Game because of a connection with an incoming enshrinee, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees, kicker Adam Vinatieri (Patriots, Colts) and 49ers running back Roger Craig round out the 2026 class entering the Hall of Fame.

In the 1995 Hall of Fame Game, the Panthers played the Jacksonville Jaguars and won 20-14.

Kuechly scored the final touchdown in the NFC Championship game on Jan. 24, 2016, a 22-yard interception return that capped a 49-15 blowout of Fitzgerald and the Cardinals.

Kuechly was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro before retiring after eight seasons because of concerns over his history of head injuries.

Fitzgerald was an 11-time Pro Bowl pick and 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year who ranks No. 2 all-time in catches (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492).

–Field Level Media

Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen (44) during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Panthers sign LS JJ Jansen for 18th season

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Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen will return to the team for an 18th season after signing a one-year contract on Tuesday.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the 40-year-old Jansen, who has played in a franchise-record 277 games since 2009. A distant second on the list is kicker John Kasay, who made 221 regular-season appearances with the Panthers (1995-2010).

“He’s everlasting,” special teams coach Tracy Smith joked late last season of Jansen. “… He can do this for as long as he wants to. He’s everlasting. There’s no proof that he’s not a robot. Nobody knows that he is not AI. We’re just going to go forward to the end of time, as far as I’m concerned.”

The Panthers acquired Jansen in a 2009 trade with the Packers, though he never played for Green Bay. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013.

–Field Level Media

WR Adam Thielen retires: ‘What a ride it has been!’

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Two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen announced his retirement Wednesday after 12 NFL seasons.

Thielen, 35, spent the majority of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. He enjoyed a second stint with the club in 2025 after two seasons with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 2.

Thielen’s season officially came to an end on Monday after the Steelers dropped a 30-6 decision to the Houston Texans in an AFC wild-card game.

“What a ride it has been!” Thielen wrote on Instagram. “13 years what a blessing! Have been blessed with so many great relationships and mentors over the years that I am forever grateful for! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the years, it has meant everything to my family and I!”

Thielen became a Steeler one day after being granted his request by the Vikings to be waived to pursue more playing time in his final NFL season.

He finished with 19 catches for 186 yards in 16 games (seven starts) this season with Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

Thielen played collegiately at Minnesota State before signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He was released by the Vikings to save salary cap space in March 2023 and signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Panthers. Carolina traded him to Minnesota on Aug. 27.

Thielen made his NFL debut in 2014 and totaled 704 receptions for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns in 178 regular-season games (135 starts).

–Field Level Media

Panthers picking up QB Bryce Young’s 5th-year option

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The Carolina Panthers will pick up quarterback Bryce Young’s fifth-year option, general manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday.

The option will pay the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft a guaranteed $26.5 million in 2027.

Young, 24, led the Panthers to an NFC South title this season while setting career highs in completion percentage (63.6), passing yards (3,011) and touchdown passes (23) in 16 starts.

He completed 21 of 40 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s 34-31 home wild-card loss against the Los Angeles Rams. He also rushed for 24 yards and a score.

“Bryce has shown flashes of greatness this year against high level competition,” Morgan said at his season-ending press conference. “Just as a team we weren’t as consistent as we want to be on a game-to-game basis, but that’s part of what happens with a young team.

“Bryce did a great job this year, and I’m just really excited about moving forward and still developing chemistry with our receivers and just the pieces around him.”

Morgan did not rule out a long-term contract for Young, who missed one start this season with an ankle sprain.

“We are still talking through the roster and where things look from a big picture view,” Morgan said. “That is still stuff that is up in the air that we are still working through at this point.”

Young is 14-30 as a starter through three seasons, completing 61.4% of his passes for 8,291 yards, 49 TDs and 30 interceptions. He has rushed for 718 yards and eight scores.

–Field Level Media

Panthers OT Ikem Ekwonu tears patellar tendon, faces surgery

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Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu tore his right patellar tendon in Saturday’s NFC wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams and will undergo surgery, head coach Dave Canales said Sunday.

His outlook for the start of the 2026 season wasn’t clear immediately.

Ekwonu, 25, played just eight snaps before the knee injury on Saturday.

“We’ll give you more of an update,” Canales said after the game. “They’ve got to do all the MRIs and all that stuff, but I think it’s a significant injury, and something that we’re going to have to go into the offseason with.”

The Panthers selected Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft from North Carolina State. The Panthers picked up his $17.6 million fifth-year team option for the 2026 season, and the injury puts a long-term extension in question.

In his four seasons with Carolina, Ekwonu has appeared in 64 games (all starts) and played nearly 100% of offensive snap counts. He has two fumble recoveries.

–Field Level Media

Matthew Stafford’s last-minute TD pass lifts Rams over Panthers in wild-card game

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Matthew Stafford’s 19-yard pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds remaining rescued the Los Angeles Rams in a 34-31 victory against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC wild-card game Saturday at Charlotte.

Stafford was 24-for-42 for 304 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Puka Nacua, who racked up 111 receiving yards, scored on a reception and a run, and Harrison Mevis kicked two field goals for the Rams.

Bryce Young’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker near the left side of the end zone with 2:39 remaining gave the Panthers a 31-27 lead but they couldn’t hold on.

The Rams will meet a to-be-determined opponent next weekend.

Young was 21-for-40 for 264 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he also rushed for a TD. Coker finished with 134 receiving yards on seven catches for the Panthers, who were in their first playoff game in eight years,

A blocked punt by Isaiah Simmons gave the Panthers the ball at the Rams’ 30 with 4:12 remaining and trailing 27-24. Four plays later, they were in the end zone with go-ahead points.

Chuba Hubbard’s 3-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 24-20. Carolina covered 62 yards in four plays.

The Rams came right back with a 67-yard drive that ended with Stafford’s 13-yard pass to Kyren Williams. The 11-play possession included a fourth-and-1 pick-up from the Panthers’ 30.

Earlier, the Panthers came back from a 17-7 deficit to pull even in the third quarter on Ryan Fitzgerald’s 46-yard field goal to end a 13-play drive.

Los Angeles went back ahead on Mevis’ 42-yarder later in the quarter.

The Rams were dominant for much of the first half, but the Panthers hung around.

Young’s 16-yard scramble for a TD with 37 seconds to go in the half allowed Carolina to pull within 17-14. That came after the Rams failed to cash in after recovering a muffed punt in Panthers’ territory, giving the ball back on a failed fourth down from the Carolina 19-yard line.

Carolina’s three first-quarter possessions ended on a failed fourth-down play, a punt and an interception by Cobie Durant.

The Rams scored first on Stafford’s 14-yard pass to Nacua. Los Angeles converted the pick-off into a 48-yard drive with Nacua’s 5-yard run around the end, claiming a 14-0 lead.

–Field Level Media

Underdog Panthers return to playoffs, host Rams in wild card

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The Los Angeles Rams drew considerable attention during the season and could be in line for more accolades.

But the Carolina Panthers did enough to secure a home game in the NFL’s wild-card round. The Rams will visit for Saturday’s game in Charlotte.

The Rams were second in the NFC West, though they’ve been tagged by some observers as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

Part of that is due to quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns with eight interceptions. That has put him in the running for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.

“I just don’t take any of these opportunities for granted,” Stafford said. “It feels great to be at this point.”

The Panthers are back in the playoffs for the first time in eight years, and they haven’t won a playoff game since January 2016. Although they beat the Rams six weeks ago, they’re clearly in the underdog role after finishing 8-9 in the regular season but winning the NFC South.

“Just continuing to try to push the envelope, just try to push it a little bit farther every day,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

Yet Stafford had forgettable moments as Los Angeles lost 31-28 to the Panthers in Charlotte on Nov. 30. He was 18-for-28 with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

“I’d like to not throw it to their team,” Stafford said when recalling that outing. “That was the story of the game.”

Since that setback, the Rams went 3-2, with two of the victories against Arizona.

“I think we’ve learned through it all,” Stafford said. “I think we’ve learned through the really good times and some of the times that we came up short.”

Carolina didn’t cruise into the postseason, going 1-3 in four games since upsetting Los Angeles. The Panthers got into the playoffs by way of a three-way divisional tiebreaker.

The Panthers, who have lost two consecutive games, have only once reached the 20-point mark since their first meeting with the Rams.

But this is a huge step for Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft choice who’ll play in his first professional postseason game.

“These are the moments,” Canales said. “When we’ve put Bryce in these high-end situations, he has performed well. So I love this challenge, for our group, and especially for Bryce.”

This will be the Panthers’ first home playoff game since their run to the Super Bowl in the 2015 season.

“It’s so important that we don’t just block it all out,” Canales said. “That we take it all in, and use it. Use that energy. Playing at home it’s why it’s so important to win the division.”

The Rams should have receiver Davante Adams back after he missed three games with a hamstring injury. Fellow wideout Puka Nacua caught an NFL-best 129 passes this season, with six for 72 yards coming against Carolina.

“Just the consistency,” Los Angeles coach Sean McVay said. “He’s so physically and mentally tough.”

By comparison, Carolina’s leader in receptions is Tetairoa McMillan with 70.

The Rams activated safety Quentin Lake from injured reserve so he can play Saturday. Receiver Jordan Whittington (knee) might be questionable for the playoff game after not practicing Tuesday and Wednesday.

For the Panthers, it’s trending toward a return for receiver David Moore, who has been out since Week 4 with an elbow injury. Offensive lineman Robert Hunt might potentially come back as well.

The only time these franchises met in the postseason came in 2004, when the Rams were located in St. Louis.

–Field Level Media

Panthers claim NFC South, crash playoffs with losing record again

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For the first time in a decade, the Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions. For the first time in NFL history, the Panthers are the only franchise to make the postseason with a losing record twice.

Carolina learned its fate on Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, sparing the Panthers due to a three-way tiebreaker among 8-9 teams. The Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday and Atlanta decided the division title among the three teams atop the NFC South, which went to Carolina by virtue of the best head-to-head record.

“The neighborhood is crazy. We were yelling from our couch, as a family,” Canales said of his experience Sunday as a Falcons’ fan. “Walked outside where we normally ride bikes and walk the dogs and there were just neighbors in the front yards. Really excited.”

One of 14 teams who have more football to play beyond the regular season, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Sunday night he hasn’t heard when Carolina might play next weekend. But he’ll have that information before the end of the night and begin plotting his first playoff plan as a head coach after turning around a franchise that went 5-12 last season and 2-15 in 2023 before he was hired.

“We will go right back to work,” Canales said.

The Panthers also made the playoffs with a losing record — 7-8-1 — in 2014. They followed that up with a 15-1 mark in 2015, their last division championship season.

Carolina has only reached the playoff once since then, following an 11-5, second-place finish in 2017.

But Canales said record is insignificant starting Monday, when every playoff team is on equal footing at 0-0. As division champions, the Panthers will host an NFC wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers.

“The familiarity gives a level of confidence in terms of what we’re up against,” he said.

Carolina played the 49ers and Rams in consecutive weeks, losing at San Francisco (20-9) on Nov. 24 and beating the Rams (31-28) six days later.

–Field Level Media

Buccaneers edge Panthers to keep NFC South title hopes alive

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Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their chance to win the NFC South alive by beating the Carolina Panthers 16-14 on a rainy Saturday at Tampa.

The Buccaneers (8-9) and Panthers (8-9) finish tied in the NFC South, but they’ll be joined by the Atlanta Falcons (7-9) if they beat the New Orleans Saints (6-10) on Sunday. A three-way tie would benefit Carolina and put the Panthers into the playoffs, while the Buccaneers will be rooting for the Saints because Tampa Bay would win the division if there’s only a two-way tie.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield said after the win on awaiting the result of the Saints and Falcons game.

Mayfield was 16-for-22 for 203 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His 20-yard completion to Cade Otton for a first down late in the fourth quarter helped seal the outcome.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 24-for-35 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Carolina produced only 19 rushing yards.

McLaughlin’s 48-yard field goal with 14:12 remaining marked the first points of the second half and stretched the Buccaneers’ lead to 16-7.

Then the Panthers moved to the Tampa Bay 20, but a flea-flicker went awry with a wayward pitch from Rico Dowdle, resulting in a fumble recovered by Lavonte David for the Buccaneers.

But Carolina had another chance and went 72 yards on eight plays, capped by Young’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left. The Panthers forced a punt, but got the ball back at their own 3-yard line with 18 seconds left and no timeouts.

It was the second Panthers-Buccaneers matchup in less than two weeks, with Carolina winning 23-20 on Dec. 21 in Charlotte.

The Buccaneers scored on the game’s first possession, with Mayfield completing three passes, including an 18-yard touchdown to Otton.

Tampa Bay threatened again right away but settled for McLaughlin’s 29-yard field goal.

Carolina’s Christian Rozeboom intercepted Mayfield and his 20-yard return put the ball at Tampa Bay’s 19. Three plays later, the Panthers were within 10-7 after Young’s 8-yard pass to Tommy Tremble.

Carolina’s next possession ended when Jacob Parrish picked off Young at the Tampa Bay 42. The Buccaneers converted on McLaughlin’s 36-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half to stretch their edge to 13-7.

–Field Level Media

Inconsistent Panthers aim to clinch NFC South in rematch with Bucs

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It’s not exactly a winner-takes-all situation when the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clash for the second time in three weeks on Saturday in Tampa.

However, the Panthers can dictate their fate when it comes to qualifying for the postseason.

“We’re aware of all those scenarios and it’s a pretty simple path — we’ve got to handle business and win the game,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “That has got to be our focus.”

The Panthers (8-8) would clinch the division with a win or a tie against the Buccaneers (7-9) or if the Atlanta Falcons defeat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

It’s more complicated for Tampa Bay, which must beat Carolina and hope the Falcons (7-9) either lose or tie against the Saints (6-10). An Atlanta win would create a three-way tie, allowing the Panthers to advance. The Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker if they end up tied only with Carolina.

Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, whose team has alternated wins and losses over the past 10 games, isn’t consumed with all the possibilities.

“Focused on the Bucs,” he said.

The Panthers beat Tampa Bay 23-20 in Charlotte on Dec. 21, so every game for both teams has felt monumental in recent weeks.

“When you know it’s a division opponent as well as we know the Panthers and they know us, it’s truly about executing your job to the best of your ability each play,” Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Players have to deliver.”

The Buccaneers have lost four consecutive games — all by four or fewer points — and have dropped seven of their past eight outings. Tampa Bay is truly in a must-win situation.

“Out of bullets, out of lives,” Mayfield said.

Six of the Carolina’s victories have come by three-point margins.

It definitely feels different for the Panthers as the regular season comes to an end with an important game ahead. In recent years, they played just for pride to finish the schedule.

“It’s obviously more,” running back Chuba Hubbard said. “We’re trying to change this narrative in Carolina. We’ve been trying to do that for a long time, so the fact that we’re one game away, you feel the energy.”

Young threw for 54 yards last week in a 27-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, marking the lowest production of his career as a starter. He has reached the 200-yard mark only three times this season.

Carolina’s rushing attack has slowed down in recent weeks. Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, who is dealing with a toe injury though he returned to practice Wednesday, had formed a strong combination.

Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles questioned his own tactics after the first matchup with the Panthers, suggesting that the 2024 season’s strategy of relying heavily on rushing plays against Carolina may no longer be as effective.

Yet Mayfield has thrown at least one interception in four straight games, mostly in the second halves.

“We’ve just got to take care of the football better,” Bowles said. “That’s what has cost us.”

The teams have the top two rookie receivers in the NFL, Tampa Bay’s Emeka Egbuka (930 yards) and Carolina’s Tetairoa McMillan (929).

Tampa Bay’s defense could be in flux with cornerbacks Jamel Dean (shoulder) and Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) missing practice work this week.

For Carolina, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (fibula), cornerback Robert Rochell (concussion) and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (calf/ankle) sat out practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

–Field Level Media