16 former Panthers named preliminary nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame
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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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 16 former Panthers named preliminary nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame