Breaking: Two Panthers Legends Reach Pivotal Point in Hall of Fame Voting
Right now, there’s just one true Carolina Panthers player in the Hall of Fame: Julius Peppers. In total, only six people who’ve ever been involved with the organization at all are in. The franchise is admittedly young, now only 30 years old. In 2025, the Hall of Fame class includes two legends who could be inducted.
Steve Smith Sr., the all-time leading receiver in franchise history, has reached the semifinal stage in his fourth year on the ballot. He has reached this stage all four years but has not been inducted yet. Luke Kuechly, a former All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year, has reached this stage in his first year of eligibility.
They are among 25 other NFL players up for the honor this year, including Eli Manning, Adam Vinatieri, Marshal Yanda, Terrell Suggs, Anquan Boldin, Hines Ward, James Harrison, and Vince Wilfork.
Smith is one of the NFL’s leading receivers with 14,731. He ranks eighth all-time in that stat. He’s 12th all-time with 1,031 receptions, too. Smith also owns one of 16 Triple Crown seasons in which he led all receivers in catches, yards, and touchdowns. Only 11 players have done this.
Kuechly had a shorter NFL career because of concussions, but he was one of the NFL’s best players during his time. He racked up tackles and accolades, including a DPOY award and Rookie of the Year.
