Top 10 Carolina Panthers of All-Time

The Panthers are one of the newer franchises in the NFL, not getting their start until 1995. However, they have still had a history of tremendously talented players who have impacted the game in many ways. Here is the top-10 players in Panthers history. 

10. Jonathan Stewart, RB, 2008-2017

The Panthers all-time leading rushing earns a spot on the top-10 in large part due to his overall value to the team. 

Stewart was never considered one of the best running backs in the league. He made just one Pro Bowl, and only crossed 1,000 rushing yards in a season once, in 2009. However, he was consistent, recording eight seasons of 600+ rushing yards and five seasons of 100+ receiving yards. He compiled 58 touchdowns, 7,335 rushing yards, and 1,295 receiving yards across 11 seasons with the Panthers. 

Stewart also starred in the Panthers 2015 Super Bowl run, when he scored three touchdowns in three playoff games. 

9. Greg Olson, TE, 2011-2019

Greg Olson was among the best modern tight ends, known not only for his ability to run routes and catch difficult passes, but also his blocking, which was among the best in the league. 

Olson came to the Panthers in 2011 after spending four years with the Bears. As a Panther he accumulated 6,463 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 524 receptions, which rank third and fourth on the team all-time leaderboard. 

Olson was selected to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro team's as a Panther, and also played a key role in the team's 2015 Super Bowl run. That season, he went for 1,104 yards, seven touchdowns, and added 231 playoff yards with a touchdown. He is now a color commentator for Fox. 

8. Thomas Davis, OLB, 2005-2018

Thomas Davis was a top linebacker and a leader on the Panthers defense. He spent 13 of his 15 years with Carolina, where he amassed 789 solo tackles, 309 assists, 87 tackles-for-loss, 59 QB hits, and 28 sacks. All of those rank in the Panthers top-10 all time, including leading the team in tackles, and finishing second in both assists and tackles-for-loss. 

Davis also started all three games in the Panthers 2015 Super Bowl run, as he was a leader for their defense. 

He was a three time Pro Bowler, two-time All Pro, and his Approxomite Value score of 97 ranks fifth all-time in Panthers history. 

7. Jake Delhomme, QB, 2003-2009

It’s difficult to rank Jake Delhomme, but he deserves a spot on this list as the quarterback who led the Panthers to their first Super Bowl appearance in 2004. 

Delhomme went 53-37 as the Panther’s starter, completing 59.2% of his passes for 19,258 yards and 120 touchdowns. Despite only reaching the playoffs three times, Delhomme lead the Panthers to five playoff wins, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2004. 

After being injured and missing most of the 2007 season, he came back to lead the Panthers to a 12-4 record in 2008, which helped him finish as the runner-up in Comeback Player of the Year voting. 

6. Mushin Muhammad, WR, 1996-2004, 2008-2009

Mushin Muhammad had an up-and-down career with the Panthers, but was clearly a talented receiver who at his peak was in the conversation for the best in the league. Though he was only a two-time Pro Bowler, he was named to the first-team All Pro in 2004 after leading the league in yards (1,405), touchdowns (16), and yard-per-game (87.8). 

Through eleven years with the Panthers, Muhammad totaled 50 touchdowns, 9,255 yards, and 696 receptions, all of which rank second all-time in Panthers history. His 59.3 yards-per-game ranks fourth. 

5. Jordan Gross, LT, 2003-2013

Jordan Gross spent 11 seasons as the starting left tackle for the Panthers, where he spent his whole career. Through that time, Gross was a three-time Pro Bowler and in 2008 was named first-team All Pro. 

Gross is a member of the Carolina Hall-of-Fame, and his AV of 86 ranks seventh all-time in team history. 

4. Steve Smith Sr. WR, 2001-2013

Steve Smith Sr. leads the Panthers in nearly every major receiving category. Yards (12,197), receptions (836), yards-per-game (67), and touchdowns (67) all show Smith leading Carolina all-time. 

In his thirteen years with Carolina, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He also won Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 when he led the NFL with 12 touchdowns, 1,563 yards, and 103 receptions, notching him the receiving triple crown. That came after playing in just one game in the 2004 season. 

Smith always came to play when the lights were brightest in the playoffs. In 11 playoff games, he finished with 1,001 yards, nine touchdowns, and 59 receptions. He led the NFL in all three of those postseason stats in both the 2004 and 2006 playoffs. 

3. Cam Newton, QB, 2011-2019, 2021

Cam Newton had a roller-coaster of an NFL career. At his peak he was the best quarterback in the NFL, winning an MVP award in 2015 over superstars such as Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. However, injuries and inconsistency led to an early retirement for the man known as “Superman.” 

Cam played ten seasons in Carolina, where he amassed 29,725 passing yards, 186 touchdowns,  59.9 completion percentage, and an 85.2 passer rating. Those passing numbers may not look impressive, but his ability to score with his legs is what made him so dangerous. 

Superman rushed for over 500 yards in each of his first five seasons, totaling a whopping 5,036 rushing yards and 63 rushing touchdowns with the Panthers. He is second all-time in QB rushing yards, and leads all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. His prolific rushing talent is what helped him accrue an AV of 140, which ranks first in Panthers history. 

He also led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance, and his record of 68-60-1 gives him the most wins of any Panthers quarterback. 

2. Luke Keuchly, ILB, 2012-2019

Luke Keuchly was talented enough that he could have been an all-time great. He played just eight seasons, but always in the conversation to be the best defensive player in the league. 

Keuchly was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, and followed that up by being a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in each of his next seven seasons, including five times being named to the first-team All-Pro. 

He led the NFL in tackles twice, and totaled 1,092 total. He also totaled 75 tackles-for-loss, 31 QB hits, and 12.5 sacks. He amassed 107 AV, which ranks third all-time for the Panthers. 

For as great of a tackler as he was, what made Keuchly special was his ability to combine his run-defense with his coverage. He finished with 18 interceptions, including a pick-six, making him one of the best coverage linebackers of all-time. He also forced seven fumbles, recovered nine, and returned one for a touchdown. 

His greatest stretch of play came in the 2015 playoffs however, when Keuchly somehow scored two pick-sixes. He had only one in his entire regular season career (which also came in 2015), but managed two in three playoff games. He also finished the playoff run with 29 tackles. 

1. Julius Peppers, LDE, 2002-2009, 2017-2018

Peppers only spent ten of his 17 seasons with the Panthers, but ranks as the fourth most valuable player in Panthers history with an AV of 106. His defensive talent was unmatched, which is why he comes in at the top of the Panthers all-time ranks. 

His 159.5 career sacks rank fifth all-time in NFL history, of which 97 came in a Carolina uniform. As a Panther, he was a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, while also winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor in 2002. \

Peppers also ranks fifth all-time with 175 tackles-for-loss. 107 of those came with the Panthers, including 18 in 2006, which led the NFL. He also finished with 89 quarterback hits and 441 combined tackles as a Panther.