The Carolina Panthers have had, let’s just say, not the greatest time at quarterback over the past half-decade since Cam Newton’s departure, despite having had high draft picks and otherwise successful QBs in the building.
From their inception in 1995 until 2018, the majority of Carolina’s quarterback snaps were taken by only four names, and only one or two have managed to hit the heights of a true quality NFL quarterback.
With their future at the position about as unclear as any, let’s instead look back at the Panthers’ top 10 quarterbacks over their 30-year history.
Here’s our list of the 10 best:
10. Andy Dalton (2023-Present)
GettyAndy Dalton.
Many will — understandably — believe it is crazy to have Dalton on this list. To them I say: go and check out the alternatives! Dalton has only started a handful of games for the Panthers and has certainly looked better than their 1-3 record suggests, and unequivocally better than previous starter He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Dalton has the potential to rise on this list if he manages to retain the starting position for the rest of the season and beyond.
9. Teddy Bridgewater (2020)
GettyTeddy Bridgewater.
As a player, the very adequate Bridgewater should be ranked a lot higher, but as a Panther, it is a borderline travesty that he makes this list at all; such is the dearth of depth of talent at the quarterback position for the Panthers over the years.
Bridgewater was neither the problem nor the solution during his sole year in Carolina, although he did — surprisingly to almost everyone — put up career highs in attempts, completions, passing yards, completion percentage and even rushing yards. However, his tenure will always be viewed as a disappointment; he was traded just a year after signing a three-year, $63 million deal, after the Panthers struggled to an unimpressive 4-11 record in 2020.
8. Kyle Allen (2018-2019)
GettyKyle Allen.
Almost the exact inverse of No. 9 Teddy Bridgewater, Allen’s contribution as a Panther vastly outweighs his general play as an NFL quarterback over the course of his career.
Allen was promoted to the starting job after Cam Newton suffered a season-ending injury after just two games of the 2019 season, and responded impressively, going 5-1 over his first six games. Unfortunately, that’s where the Cinderella story ends, as Allen and the Panthers suffered six consecutive defeats that eventually resulted in head coach Ron Rivera’s dismissal. He may not receive free drinks in every (or perhaps any) bar in Charlotte, but Allen’s mini-run will forever be entrenched in the hearts of Panthers fans.
7. Sam Darnold (2021-2022)
GettySam Darnold.
Perhaps a strange one for the casual observer reliving their memories of the ultimate failure of Darnold’s time in Charlotte. Cast your mind back to the true contents of his two years at the Panthers, though, and a different picture arises.
Darnold’s first season in Carolina did not quite go to plan, putting up a passer rating of just 71.9 with the team going a mediocre 4-7 with him as the starter. However, in year 2, Darnold bumped those numbers up to a then career high of 92.6 with a 4-2 team record, as the Panthers came within one game of winning the NFC South, back in 2022.
6. Matt Moore (2007-2010)
GettyMatt Moore.
One of the few backups in any team to have played double-digit games and maintained a winning record, Moore came out of the gate as an undrafted free agent in 2007 to a blistering start, going 6-2 in his first eight starts. In fact, his impressive performances paved the road for Carolina to cut Pro Bowler Jake Delhomme at the end of the 2009 season.
But his strong start never amassed a more significant legacy within the organization, as injuries in 2010 paved the way for Carolina to draft Auburn QB Cam Newton with the first overall pick in 2011, effectively ending Moore’s time with the team.
5. Rodney Peete (2002-2004)
GettyRodney Peete.
Peete’s single greatest contribution to the Panthers organization came in 2003, when he started — and won — the first game of what was eventually an NFC-winning season. Yet, the majority of Peete’s displays came the year prior, in 2002, when he managed to guide Carolina to a reasonable 7-7 season that ended up being arguably the best of his 16-year career, generating highs in completions, yards and touchdown passes. He went 8-7 over the course of his Panther career, and, unfortunately, that alone gives him a pretty good case for being a Top 5 Panther QB.
4. Kerry Collins (1995-1998)
GettyKerry Collins.
Kerry Collins is hardly a household name for the average football fan, but he is certainly on the Mount Rushmore of Panther quarterbacks. While he probably did not do his best work as a youngster in Carolina, reserving that play for his work at the Giants and in Tennessee, he did win a playoff game and managed a Pro Bowl appearance in 1996. For a team’s first-ever drafted QB, there are certainly a lot worse than Collins.
3. Steve Beuerlein (1996-2000)
GettySteve Beuerlein.
Kerry Collins’ backup and eventual replacement, Steve Beuerlein, is certainly one of the more understated good quarterbacks in franchise history. Taking the permanent starting job in 1998 after Collins’ injury and clashes with coaching staff, Beuerlein put up three very respectable seasons from 1998-2000, including a Pro Bowl 1999 season in which he led the NFL in passing yards. That year, he also became the first ever Carolina quarterback to throw for 3,000/4,000 yards in a single season.
2. Jake Delhomme (2003-2009)
GettyJake Delhomme.
The only potential rival for the No. 1 spot on this list, Delhomme was the first QB in Carolina to have both major regular and postseason success, highlighted by his very first season in which he came within a last minute Adam Vinatieri field goal of winning the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy in the 2004 Super Bowl — a feat that still eludes them to this day. Delhomme continued to stack good regular seasons on top of one another, including a 2005 Pro Bowl appearance, until his eventual release in 2010.
1. Cam Newton (2011-2019, 2021)
GettyCam Newton.
The clear No. 1 quarterback on this list. Newton holds every QB franchise record imaginable for the Panthers and is really the first name one thinks of when looking back on Carolina’s short history. Although Newton’s injuries and playing inconsistencies prevented him from being the All-World quarterback many projected he could become when he entered the league in 2011, he still had a huge impact on the franchise. Most notably, in having one of the best dual-threat QB seasons of all time in 2015, where he drove a steamrolling Panthers team to a 15-1 regular season record and Super Bowl appearance, only to be foiled by a fourth quarter Von Miller strip-sack late on that sealed the Broncos as 2016 Super Bowl champions.
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The 10 Best Panthers Quarterbacks of All Time, Ranked