Panthers legends of past and present were well recognized during the 2026 NFL Honors ahead of Super Bowl LX
It was a great night for the Carolina Panthers who had some deserving winners.
The Carolina Panthers had an eventful night on Thursday during the NFL honors with past and present legends getting well recognized in the award selections.
It was a proper event to recognize some all-time greats while also showing appreciation for the season the Panthers put together this past year after making it back to the playoffs and showing a lot of promise for the season ahead. But, let’s get to some of the award winners and it’s only right we start with perhaps the team’s greatest player in franchise history.
Luke Kuechly inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after missing out on first ballot in 2025
The NFL corrected a grave mistake made last year after leaving former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly out of the 2025 Hall of Fame class during his first year of eligibility. The second time around, the league got things right and Kuechly can now be forever enshrined.
Part of the reason that left Kuechly off the list during his first year on the ballot had to do with the shortened career he actually had in the NFL after playing for just eight seasons with the Panthers. But, in those eight seasons, Kuechly was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, five-time All Pro selection, a Defensive Rookie of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year, and a member of the All-2010s Team.
That kind of resume in such a short stint is impressive alone and Kuechly easily proved to be one of the top linebackers in the league during his era. The best part of his induction was seeing former Panthers legend Julius Peppers, a Hall of Fame selection in the Class of 2025, being the one to welcome Kuechly into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tetairoa McMillan wins Offensive Rookie of the Year in a landslide vote
With a legend of the past properly recognized, the Panthers also had a rising star recognized as well with first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan taking home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and it wasn’t a close race by any means with McMillan earning 41 first-place votes.
McMillan led all rookies in receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs, and receiving first downs. He became the team’s second-ever Offensive Rookie of the Year joining quarterback Cam Newton, who won the award back in 2011.
It’s clear the league views McMillan as a future star and he’s just scratching the potential that he can have with this team.
Former Panthers greats Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore took home awards as well
It’s only right we give some attention to two former Panthers as well in 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, who each took home awards as well on Thursday.
McCaffrey was a finalist for three different awards including MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. He missed out on both awards but the award he did win was Comeback Player of the Year after the workhorse season he had coming off a year in which he played just four games.
Moore, meanwhile, won Moment of the Year for his walk-off overtime touchdown against the Green Bay Packers that he accepted on stage. Moore had a down season statistically in his third season with the Bears but made some impactful plays on the biggest stage all season long.
A look to the future
Next year, the big name to watch will be Cam Newton, with it being his first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Newton redefined the quarterback position and finished his career as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks this league has ever seen.
While his career ended swiftly, few players had a better prime than Cam Newton. Newton was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, an MVP in 2015, an Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Offensive Player of the Year. But, it’ll be steep competition for the former Panthers legend.
Other quarterbacks in consideration for the Class of 2027 include Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, two remarkable quarterbacks who did the one thing Newton infamously failed to do and that’s win the big one in the Super Bowl.
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