The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Panthers were founded in 1993, when they joined the NFL as an expansion team. The team home field and headquarters is Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte. The Panthers are supported throughout the Carolinas;[1] although the team has played its home games in Charlotte since 1996, they played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina during its first season in 1995.[2] In the 29 seasons the team has played, it has a record of 223–260–1 (a winning percentage of .474), with two Super Bowl appearances, six division titles, and eight playoff appearances.[3]
The Carolina Panthers inaugural season was in 1995, where team played as members of the NFC West division. Dom Capers was the franchise's first head coach. In their first season, they recorded a record of 7–9, the best record for an expansion team in NFL history.[4] In their second season, they won the NFC West and reached the NFC Championship game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers; Capers won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award. The Panthers would fail to reach the playoffs in 1997, and in 1998, Capers was fired after a 4–12 finish.[5] George Seifert was hired to replace him as head coach, but failed to reach the playoffs in any of his three seasons. His final season as head coach was in 2001, when the Panthers finished with a league-worst 1–15 record.[6] John Fox was hired as head coach in 2002. In his nine seasons as head coach, the Panthers made the playoffs three times and won two NFC South division titles (in 2003 and 2008). They reached Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2003, the NFC Championship game in 2005, and the Divisional round in 2008.[3]
Fox was not retained as head coach following a 2–14 finish in 2010,[7] and was succeeded by Ron Rivera. Rivera's tenure as head coach was the most successful in team history.[8] The Panthers reached the playoffs four times under Rivera, and won three straight division titles from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, the Panthers recorded their most successful regular season, finishing with a league-best 15–1 record; quarterback Cam Newton received MVP and Offensive Player of the Year honors.[9][10] However, the team lost Super Bowl 50 24–10 to the Denver Broncos.[11][12] The team last recorded a playoff appearance in 2017, when they recorded an 11–5 record but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. After a seven-year playoff drought and three fired head coaches (Rivera in 2019, Matt Rhule in 2022, and Frank Reich in 2023), the Panthers returned to the playoffs in the 2025 season after winning the NFC South with record of 8–9.
Seasons
| Conference champions # | Division champions † | Wild Card berth ^ |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | Awards | Head coach | Refs. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | W | L | T | |||||||||
| 1995 | 1995 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 7 | 9 | 0 | Bill Polian (EOTY) | Dom Capers | [3] | |
| 1996 | 1996 | NFL | NFC | West † | 1st † | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional playoffs (Cowboys) 26–17 Lost NFC Championship (at Packers) 13–30 | Dom Capers (COTYTooltip NFL Coach of the Year Award) Bill Polian (EOTY) | [13][14] | |
| 1997 | 1997 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 1998 | 1998 | NFL | NFC | West | 4th | 4 | 12 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 1999 | 1999 | NFL | NFC | West | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | George Seifert | [3] | ||
| 2000 | 2000 | NFL | NFC | West | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2001 | 2001 | NFL | NFC | West | 5th | 1 | 15 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2002 | 2002 | NFL | NFC | South[a] | 4th | 7 | 9 | 0 | Julius Peppers (DROTYTooltip National Football League Rookie of the Year Award) | John Fox | [3][16] | |
| 2003 | 2003 | NFL | NFC # | South † | 1st † | 11 | 5 | 0 | Won Wild Card playoffs (Cowboys) 29–10 Won Divisional playoffs (at Rams) 29–23 (2OT) Won NFC Championship (at Eagles) 14–3 Lost Super Bowl XXXVIII (vs. Patriots) 29–32 | [17] | ||
| 2004 | 2004 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2005 | 2005 | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd ^ | 11 | 5 | 0 | Won Wild Card playoffs (at Giants) 23–0 Won Divisional playoffs (at Bears) 29–21 Lost NFC Championship (at Seahawks) 14–34 | Steve Smith (CPOTYTooltip National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award) | [18][19] | |
| 2006 | 2006 | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd | 8 | 8 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2007 | 2007 | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2008 | 2008 | NFL | NFC | South † | 1st † | 12 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional playoffs (Cardinals) 13–33 | [20] | ||
| 2009 | 2009 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2010 | 2010 | NFL | NFC | South | 4th | 2 | 14 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2011 | 2011 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | Cam Newton (OROTYTooltip National Football League Rookie of the Year Award) | Ron Rivera | [3][21] | |
| 2012 | 2012 | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd | 7 | 9 | 0 | Luke Kuechly (DROTYTooltip National Football League Rookie of the Year Award) | [3][16] | ||
| 2013 | 2013 | NFL | NFC | South † | 1st † | 12 | 4 | 0 | Lost Divisional playoffs (49ers) 10–23 | Luke Kuechly (DPOTYTooltip AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award) Ron Rivera (COTYTooltip National Football League Coach of the Year Award)[22] | [14][23][24] | |
| 2014 | 2014 | NFL | NFC | South † | 1st † | 7 | 8 | 1 | Won Wild Card playoffs (Cardinals) 27–16 Lost Divisional playoffs (at Seahawks) 17–31 | Thomas Davis (WPMOTYTooltip Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award) | [25][26] | |
| 2015 | 2015 | NFL | NFC # | South † | 1st † | 15 | 1 | 0 | Won Divisional playoffs (Seahawks) 31–24 Won NFC Championship (Cardinals) 49–15 Lost Super Bowl 50 (vs. Broncos) 10–24 | Cam Newton (MVPTooltip National Football League Most Valuable Player Award, OPOTYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award) Ron Rivera (COTY) Dave Gettleman (EOY) | [14][27][28][29] | |
| 2016 | 2016 | NFL | NFC | South | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2017 | 2017 | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd ^ | 11 | 5 | 0 | Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Saints) 26–31 | [30] | ||
| 2018 | 2018 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2019 | 2019[b] | NFL | NFC | South | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | Ron Rivera (5–7)[c] Perry Fewell (0–4)[c] | [31] | ||
| 2020 | 2020 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 5 | 11 | 0 | Matt Rhule | [3] | ||
| 2021[d] | 2021 | NFL | NFC | South | 4th | 5 | 12 | 0 | [3] | |||
| 2022 | 2022[e] | NFL | NFC | South | 2nd | 7 | 10 | 0 | Matt Rhule (1–4)[c] Steve Wilks (6–6)[c] | [32] | ||
| 2023 | 2023[f] | NFL | NFC | South | 4th | 2 | 15 | 0 | Frank Reich (1–10)[c] Chris Tabor (1–5)[c] | [33] | ||
| 2024 | 2024 | NFL | NFC | South | 3rd | 5 | 12 | 0 | Dave Canales | [34] | ||
| 2025 | 2025 | NFL | NFC | South † | 1st † | 8 | 9 | 0 | Lost Wild Card playoffs (Rams) 31–34 | Tetairoa McMillan (OROTYTooltip National Football League Rookie of the Year Award) | [35] | |
| Totals | 227 | 273 | 1 | All-time regular season record (1995–2025) | ||||||||
| 9 | 9 | — | All-time postseason record (1995–2025) | |||||||||
| 236 | 282 | 1 | All-time regular & postseason record (1995–2025) | |||||||||
Notes
- Following the 2002 NFL realignment, the Panthers were moved to the NFC South division.[15]
- Ron Rivera was fired as head coach midseason, and Perry Fewell was named interim coach for the remainder of the season.[31]
- Indicates the coach's record (Wins–Losses).
- The NFL increased the length of a season from 16 to 17 games.[3]
- Matt Rhule was fired as head coach midseason, and Steve Wilks was named interim coach for the remainder of the season.[32]
- Frank Reich was fired as head coach midseason, and Chris Tabor was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[33]
References
- Breech, John (January 24, 2016). "LOOK: Panthers' #OneCarolina hashtag has taken over social media". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016.
- "Team Chronology" (PDF). 2023 Carolina Panthers Media Guide (PDF). NFL Enterprises, LLC. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 19, 2023.
- "Carolina Panthers Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks". Pro-Football -Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022.
- Swan, Gary (September 19, 1996). "Carolina's Davis Has His Hands Full Again / Former 49ers corner renews duel with Rice". San Francisco Chronicle. OCLC 137344428. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014.
- "Panthers let Capers go after dismal 4–12 season". Sports Illustrated. December 28, 1998. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014 – via Associated Press.
- "Panthers fire head coach Seifert after 1–15 season". Sports Illustrated. January 2, 2002. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012.
- Odum, Charles (January 3, 2011). "Falcons beat Panthers 31–10, win home-field edge". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013.
- Zietlow, Alex (January 9, 2024). "Ron Rivera, best coach in Carolina Panthers history, fired from Washington Commanders". Charlotte Observer.
- "Cam Newton Named NFL MVP". Carolina Panthers. February 6, 2016. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022.
- Jones, Jonathan (February 7, 2016). "Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is Named NFL MVP; he thanks the doubters". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020.
- Felt, Hunter (February 8, 2016). "Super Bowl 50 was billed as Newton v Manning – but the defenses tore up the script". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018.
- Renck, Troy E. (February 7, 2016). "Von Miller, defense carry Broncos to Super Bowl victory". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018.
- "1996 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023.
- "AP Coach of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022.
- "New alignment takes effect in 2002". ESPN. Associated Press. May 22, 2001. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020.
- "AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017.
- "2003 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008.
- "2005 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023.
- "AP Comeback Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018.
- "2008 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018.
- "AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018.
- "'NFL Honors' complete list of winners". NFL.com. February 1, 2014. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014.
- "2013 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
- "AP Defensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018.
- "2014 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023.
- "Walter Payton Man of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021.
- "2015 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023.
- "AP NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024.
- "AP Offensive Player of the Year Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020.
- "2017 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023.
- "2019 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023.
- "2022 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024.
- "2023 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024.
- "2024 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "2025 Carolina Panthers Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com.