Tag: Steve Smith Sr.

2 more Panthers greats will be eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026

Two more Panthers greats will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting next season.

There’s going to be quite a few Carolina Panthers legends on next season’s Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot.

With the 2025 class officially announced on Thursday night, we can now look forward to 2026—where a pair of old friends will get their initial crack at taking up residence in Canton, Ohio. Among the notable players with first-year eligibility are tight end Greg Olsen and linebacker Thomas Davis.

Olsen, who was traded to the Panthers in 2011 for a third-round pick, played nine of his 14 NFL seasons in Carolina. Up through the 2019 campaign, he reeled in 524 receptions for 6,463 yards and 39 touchdowns.

When adding in his four years in Chicago and his one in Seattle, Olsen finished with 8,683 receiving yards—the seventh-most all-time by a tight end. The two-time second-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler was also the first tight end in league history to record three straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards.

Davis was selected by the Panthers with the 14th overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft. He’d become the first player to ever successfully return from three ACL tears, all of which occurred to the same knee.

The setbacks didn’t spell the end for Davis, who played his best ball after the injuries. Davis went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection, beginning in his age 32 season.

Both Olsen and Davis were key presences for Carolina’s three straight NFC South titles from 2013 and 2015, a journey that ended with the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance.

They will be under consideration alongside former teammates Luke Kuechly and Steve Smith Sr., both of whom fell short as finalists for the 2025 class.

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Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. not named to Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Carolina’s all-time leading receiver Steve Smith Sr. will have to wait at least one more year for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Carolina Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. will have to continue his pursuit of Canton, Ohio.

The former wide receiver was not voted as one of the four inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. Smith Sr., a first-time finalist for football’s greatest honor, was on his fourth year of eligibility.

A third-round pick in the 2001 NFL draft, Smith Sr. played 13 of his 16 professional seasons in Carolina. He still stands as the organization’s all-time leading receiver, as he amassed 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns on 836 receptions for the Panthers.

After parting ways with the team following the 2013 campaign, Smith Sr. finished out the final three years of his pro career with the Baltimore Ravens—adding 2,534 more yards, 14 more scores and 195 more catches. He is currently the eighth leading receiver (14,731 yards) in league history.

Smith Sr. reeled in numerous honors over his time—including two first-team All-Pro selections, a second-team All-Pro selection and five Pro Bowl nods. He was also named the 2005 AP Comeback Player of the Year—a season in which he led the entire NFL in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,563) and receiving touchdowns (12).

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Panthers greats Steve Smith Sr., Luke Kuechly named Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists

Panthers legends Steve Smith Sr. and Luke Kuechly have been named finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.

Two Carolina Panthers legends are amongst the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As announced on Saturday morning, former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and former linebacker Luke Kuechly have made it through into the last round of consideration for this year’s class. This is Smith’s fourth year of eligibility and Kuechly’s first.

Smith has now achieved the finalist status for the first time over those four years. Each of his previous three cracks at football immortalization ended in semifinalist stage.

He still stands as the Panthers’ all-time leading receiver (12,197 yards) and the NFL’s eighth all-time leading receiver (14,731). Smith, over his 16-year career, racked up two First-team All-Pro nods, five Pro Bowl selections and a Comeback Player of the Year award.

Kuechly, who has a real chance to be voted into Canton as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, accumulated a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a Defensive Player of the Year award, five First-team All-Pro spots and seven Pro Bowl spots in his eight pro campaigns.

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Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. gives his thoughts on Bryce Young’s recent growth

Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. examined how Bryce Young’s benching ended up helping the second-year QB.

Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. has been on the Bryce Young bandwagon from Day One—or the 2023 University of Alabama Pro Day, to be more exact. And despite the bumpy ride that the bandwagon has taken, he’s never gotten off.

The franchise’s all-time leading receiver joined the latest episode of the Pardon My Take podcast, where he spoke about the recent resurgence of Young. Smith tells host Dan “Big Cat” Katz that the team’s early-season decision to bench the former No. 1 overall pick, which looked quite bad back in Week 3, looks a heck of a lot better now.

Young was benched two games into his second NFL campaign after leading the Panthers to a pair of blowout losses. He, in those defeats, completed 55.4 percent of his passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Since returning to the starting lineup in Week 8, Young has recorded a 60.4-percent completion rate, 216.4 passing yards per game, seven total scores and three picks. The Panthers are 2-3 in those starts.

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2 Panthers legends named semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Panthers greats Steve Smith Sr. and Luke Kuechly are amongst the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.

Two Carolina Panthers greats are one step closer to immortalizing their legacies.

On Wednesday morning, former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and former linebacker Luke Kuechly were named amongst the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class. This marks Smith’s fourth year of eligibility for a spot in Canton, Ohio and Kuechly’s first.

Each of Smith’s four years on the ballot have now taken him into semifinalist status. He has yet to advance as a finalist.

Smith spent 13 of his 16 pro campaigns in Carolina—where he accumulated a franchise-leading 12,197 receiving yards, two First-team All-Pro nods, five Pro Bowl selections and a Comeback Player of the Year award. He stands as the NFL’s eighth all-time leading receiver (14,731 yards).

Kuechly’s highly-decorated career could very well turn him into a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The former ninth overall pick—over his eight seasons—captured a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a Defensive Player of the Year award, five First-team All-Pro spots and seven Pro Bowl spots.

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Cam Newton explains why he believes Panthers are ‘avoiding his legacy’ in emotional video

Cam Newton feels as though the Panthers have been avoiding his legacy. He revealed why in an emotional video from Thursday.

The greatest Carolina Panther of all-time isn’t feeling the love from the Carolina Panthers.

On Thursday’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, Cam Newton was asked about the organization’s trip to Munich, Germany from this past weekend. The visit featured a handful of former Panthers players representing the franchise as ambassadors—including Steve Smith Sr., Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly.

That group, however, did not include Newton—who says he was not invited overseas.

A visibly bothered Newton then stated that the Panthers do not have any images of him up at their home of Bank of America Stadium, something he painfully learned while returning to the building for a seven-on-seven tournament last year.

“We went into the Panthers’ facility and . . . you mean to tell me that one of the greatest Panthers to ever play ain’t up nowhere? Nowhere. I’m talkin’ nowhere,” he said. “Who brought it to my attention? My son. So as a man, when you have to explain to your son . . . ‘Daddy, where’s your picture?’

“Then you know what the tour guide person said? ‘Oh, if you go up on the second and third level, Cam’s all over the place. I seen Jake Delhomme. I seen Thomas Davis. I seen Luke Kuechly. I seen Julius Peppers. I seen Steve Smith.

“At this particular point in time, the question was ‘Oh, we don’t know if Cam’s retired yet.’ News flash—I’m never gonna retire. I know I’ve played my last piece of football. It don’t matter to me to officially retire. I’m in a happy place.”

He also claimed that he reached out to the Panthers in the past about doing a live taping of his show involving himself, old teammates and current quarterback Bryce Young—but to no avail.

Newton led the Panthers to three NFC South titles, four playoff appearances and their second-ever Super Bowl appearance. On top of being the franchise’s all-time leading passer, he’s also the only Panther to win Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

His last down came in 2021.

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Retired All-Pro wide receiver speaks highly of DeAndre Hopkins’ potential with the Chiefs

Retired All-Pro Steve Smith Sr. speaks highly of DeAndre Hopkins’ potential with the Kansas City #Chiefs | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated through seven games this season as they seek an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl. The front office added veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to help solidify their wide receiver depth, much to the appreciation of a former All-Pro receiver turned analyst.

On a recent episode of his ’89’ podcast with NFL Insider James Palmer, Steve Smith Sr. praised the Hopkins acquisition and his instant chemistry in the Chiefs’ offense.

“He’s been on the football field between his career in college and then the NFL, all the Pro Bowls, all the practices, all the old school training camp, the new school training camp. OTAs, I think he’ll be fine,” said Smith. “He’s playing with one of the smartest offensive-minded coaches known to mankind, named Andy Reid.”

Following various injuries, the multiple-time Pro Bowler will play a significant role in the Chiefs’ offense in the next few weeks. He was targeted three times and hauled in two catches in his debut without much practice time after his trade from the Tennessee Titans.

Panthers legends among final 50 modern-era candidates for 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Two Panthers legends are closer to Canton.

Two Carolina Panthers greats are a little bit closer to Canton.

On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Modern-Era Screening Committee trimmed the list of 167 nominees for its 2025 class to just 50. Among the 50 nominees who have advanced to the next stage of consideration include former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and former linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Smith Sr. has been named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for each of the past three years. On top of being the franchise’s all-time leading pass catcher, Smith Sr. also ranks eighth on the NFL’s all-time receiving list (14,731).

Kuechly, who retired at the age of 28, is in his very first year of eligibility. He was named the 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and earned five First-team All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections.

The full selection committee will now reduce the number of nominees to 25 in about four weeks.

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Steve Smith Sr. believes the Bills are using Keon Coleman wrong

After Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, the Buffalo Bills are looking for answer and Hall-of-Famer Steve Smith Sr. has one.

The Buffalo Bills (3-2) are coming off a disappointing 23-20 loss at the Houston Texans in which the passing offense looked anemic when the team needed a spark. The offense put up just 126 passing yards against one of the stingiest pass defenses in the NFL, but Buffalo’s offense also looked like it needed someone to step up.

On Sunday against the Texans, Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman led the team in receiving yards with 49, but all of that came on his touchdown catch that helped Buffalo come back from a 17-point deficit. Through five games, Coleman has nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, something that many could say are underwhelming numbers for the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Essentially, Coleman filled in for Khalil Shakir, who missed the contest due to an ankle injury, as the number one receiver, but he was third on the team in targets with five. Despite the fact that Coleman is still learning the ropes as a rookie, there is one NFL Hall-of-Famer who believes that he is being used out of position.

“Their young rookie receiver, Keon Coleman, he’s a heck of a football player. I believe that they (the Bills) have put him out of position,” Steve Smith Sr. said during a podcast for Underdog. “Give him a mismatch against a smaller DB (defensive back). When he was playing against Jalen Ramsey against Miami, they won that game, but he was getting clamped down.”

It’s no secret that the Bills are trying to make the best of the situation with their pass-catchers following the departures of wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis in free-agency. That has forced players like Coleman and Shakir into featured roles within the offense to various degrees, but there are some who believe that Coleman can be used in a better way to fit his skill set.

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16 former Panthers named preliminary nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame

16 former Panthers, and a current assistant coach, were named amongst the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 167 preliminary nominees for the 2025 class.

Which Carolina Panthers great could be joining Julius Peppers in Canton, Ohio? Well, 16 of them will at least have a shot.

On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 167 preliminary nominees for their 2025 class. Among those listed were 16 former Panthers.

Those players are as follows:

  • QB Jake Delhomme
  • RB Stephen Davis
  • RB/WR Eric Metcalf
  • WR Muhsin Muhammad
  • WR Steve Smith Sr.
  • TE Wesley Walls
  • TE Jeremy Shockey
  • OT Jordan Gross
  • C Ryan Kalil
  • DE Jared Allen
  • LB Jessie Armstead
  • LB Luke Kuechly
  • LB Lee Woodall
  • S Eugene Robinson
  • CB Charles Tillman
  • K John Kasay

Headlining the group is Kuechly, who is now in his first year of eligibility for the honor. The 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Pro spoke about the possibility of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer back in February.

“I think when you think about the Hall of Fame, it’s obviously awesome,” Kuechly said on an episode of Up & Adams. “It’s the highest honor that you can have as a football player on an individual basis. And you look at the guys that got in there at the linebacker position, the guys I grew up watching—Derrick Brooks, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, obviously Pep got in. Those three guys that I mentioned and then Patrick [Willis]. And all of ’em were a little bit different.”

Former cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who is currently the assistant defensive backs coach for Carolina, was also one of the 167 nominees.

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