Carolina Panthers will have the opportunity to put a past mistake behind them after the 2026 season opener was finally revealed
The Carolina Panthers now know which team they will be facing to kick off the 2026 regular season and all of the talk leading up to the game will be surrounding a conversations fans are tired of hearing about.
The Carolina Panthers had their Week 1 opponent revealed on Wednesday leading up to the full NFL schedule release that will be announced later Thursday night.
The Panthers will be opening the regular season up at home for the first time since 2022 and hosting the reigning NFC North champs in the Chicago Bears. It’s a great opening week matchup for both rising teams in the NFC lead by two young quarterbacks.
However, the conversation runs much deeper than that and this game will finally be the opportunity for Carolina to put their past mistakes behind them.
Week 1 matchup vs. Chicago Bears will give the Carolina Panthers a chance to bury the #1 pick trade
This game will be the third matchup between the Panthers and Bears since the massive trade between the two teams that sent WR DJ Moore and multiple picks to Chicago in exchange for the 2023 first overall pick. It was a bold move at the time for Carolina and one that’s aged like expired milk.
The Panthers used that first overall pick to select QB Bryce Young, whom the team is still hesitant to pay as their franchise quarterback. Meanwhile, here’s the full final haul Chicago ended up receiving from that trade:
- QB Caleb Williams
- WR DJ Moore
- RT Darnell Wright
- CB Tyrique Stevenson
- P Tory Taylor
- WR Luther Burden III
- TE Sam Roush
- CB Malik Muhammad
It’s clear to see who won that trade and it’s a deal that set the Panthers back a few years while leading to a full regime change in 2024. Thankfully, the Panthers are finally back in the upswing after that monumental trade under the leadership of GM Dan Morgan and entering the 2026 season after one of the more impressive offseasons in recent memory.
With the trade now completed, this game will likely be the final time we here about this entire situation. And the Panthers could fully put the past behind them if they come away with a win over Chicago to kick off the season.
As for the rest of the schedule, stay tuned for any more leaks ahead of the official schedule release later tonight.