CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Julius Peppers cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players of all-time with his first-ballot introduction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but what other Carolina Panthers greats could soon join him?
Peppers wasn't the first player to sport a Carolina uniform who was enshrined in Canton, but he was the first player who was drafted by the Panthers to get a gold jacket. So what about other great Panthers, like Steve Smith Sr., Luke Kuechly and Cam Newton? When, if ever, will they get that call?
Kuechly will be on the ballot for the first time as a nominee in 2025. From the first time he stepped on the field as a rookie in 2012 until his retirement following the 2019 season, Kuechly left no doubt that he was among the very best in the NFL.
"Every year he played, he was the best in the league at what he did," Panthers.com's Darin Gantt said. "I think it's as simple as that."
Gantt covered Carolina for more than a decade with the Rock Hill Herald before joining Pro Football Talk and later the Panthers organization. He's a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee and was in Las Vegas with Peppers when he was informed of his induction.
"I just look at the way he (Kuechly) dominated his position over time," Gantt said. "When someone is a five-time first-team All-Pro, two-time second-team All-Pro, seven of the eight years, everyone in the game agreed he was one of the two best people to do the thing he did."
Gantt said he's still astounded that Kuechly maintained an elite level of play for his entire career until he retired. There was never a time in Luke Kuechly's career that was as just another player on the field. Gantt believes now that other NFL legends have been enshrined despite injuries shortening their career, Kuechly shouldn't have an issue making it t Canton.
"I don't think there's that stigma anymore about players who only played for a brief amount of time, as long as they played at a super high level and Luke Kuechly obviously did that," Gantt said.
Luke Kuechly career accolades
- Five-time first-team All-Pro (2013-15, 2017, 2018)
- Seven-time Pro Bowl (2013-2019)
- Two-time NFL tackles leader
- 2013 Defensive Player of the Year
- Art Rooney Award winner
- Three-time Butkus Award winner (2014, 2015, 2017)
- NFL 2010s All-Decade Team