While it may be an insane thought to think that a team coming off the league’s worst defense, second to last in offense, yet be thinking about if this team has a true Hall of Fame potential player on the roster. Carolina has long had that one great player to help elevate the franchise ahead of where it might normally reside, from Cam Newton, to Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers, and Steve Smith Sr., the franchise has been spoiled. Is this the roster that truly doesn’t have that X-factor on the team, or are we just asking this question too early?
The 2025 Carolina Panthers are coming into a season where the expectations are finally pointing in a direction of positivity, looking at a potential ceiling of an NFC South title coming back to Carolina for the first time since 2015, the same year when the team would head to a Super Bowl. Now post-NFL Draft, the team has added young, talented edge rushers in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, #1 rated WR Tetairoa McMillan, RB Trevor Etienne, S Lathan Ransom, NT Cam Jackson, WR Jimmy Horn Jr, while also adding more than 20 UDFA to the roster as well. Carolina remains in a place of flux, as QB1 Bryce Young has continued to show off the field development following a stellar end to the NFL season. The team is poised to truly contend for the division if Bryce can bring back some of that juice that we saw at the end of 2024.
If we are trying to narrow down the potential Hall of Famers, we must first identify the folks who truly have the chance to do that as of June 10, 2025:
QB Bryce Young
Moving towards new frontiers in 2025, a head coach in his second-year, new weapons all over the field, and of course an upgraded defense should allow this 23 year old (07/25/2001) QB to continue to show the promise he displayed ending the 2024 campaign, with a 5 TD explosion against NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons. Bryce has this year and next to make his mark on the NFL as a starter, so let this be the beginning of the true Bryce Young revival. If not, this Hall of Fame dream ends with a whimper.
WR Tetairoa McMillan
Tetairoa is coming to a situation where he is going to be asked to emulate some of the greatest WRs of late, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Malik Nabers – fix the offense on Day 1. Chasing the Hall of Fame path, Nalo will only need to eclipse 1,008 receiving yards, a mark set by Kelvin Benjamin in 2014 as the rookie receiving yards record, the touchdowns set also by him with 9, and the catches by a Panthers rookie at 80, set by Christian McCaffrey in 2017. McMillan can rack up insane stats in an offense that will be tailored for him to win big, and if so, could set his trajectory towards the Hall of Fame even after his rookie season.
DE Derrick Brown
The 27-year-old defensive end is coming off an injury-filled season, allowing him more time to heal. Brown will continue to be a true veteran of the team, now coming into his 6th year with the team, already ranking 9th in assisted tackles, 8th in QB hits, and 15th in tackles for loss amongst All-Time Carolina Panthers. Brown can continue this historic rise as he moves up the rankings, and with a little help from the offense, might even add a Super Bowl ring to his resume one day. Either way, Brown’s trajectory towards the Hall of Fame is still being paved, and with a little help, he could be there!
Wild Card: Ryan Fitzgerald
Newly signed UDFA Ryan Fitzgerald has a chance to truly not only make a name for himself, but cement his legacy in the NFL. The unsexy pick of Fitzgerald as a kicker may seem dumb until you examine the teams with long-term top-flight kickers, from the Ravens, to Patriots, Colts, and even the Broncos, which can show you that the position does truly matter – a great kicker can change the tide. Fitzgerald is coming off a stellar year with the Florida State Seminoles, where he went 58/58 on his extra point attempts, and 19 of 21 field goals, including 2 from 50 yards, and his career-longest at 59 yards. The kicker position is very much in flux in Carolina, and this position, more than any, can be snagged away by a young, consistent kicker, setting him on a potential path as a 20-year starter in the NFL, a Hall of Fame-level kicker.
