Considering that the Carolina Panthers have only been in the NFL since 1995, there’s been a surprising amount of consistency at the quarterback position. Many newer franchises have bounced from quarterback to quarterback with nobody lasting all that long. Carolina has seen two players monopolize the position over a span of almost two decades.

With some franchises, it’s tough to find five guys for the list due to performance. With the Panthers, it’s largely due to lack of opportunity. Let’s look at the five greatest Panthers quarterbacks of all time!

5. Teddy Bridgewater

Am I being a U of L homer by including Teddy? Probably, but the numbers back me up! Teddy’s Approximate Value of 12 is fifth all time among Panthers quarterbacks. His quarterback rating of 92.1 tops the list. His completion percentage of 69.1% also tops the list, and he’s sixth all time in passing yards.

Teddy’s main weakness is his 4-11 record, but one look at that Panthers team from 2020 tells you it wasn’t all his fault.

4. Kerry Collins

Collins was the very first draft pick by the Carolina franchise when they took him fifth in the 1995 NFL Draft. I remember it well, as they traded the first overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals, who wanted to take Ki-Jana Carter. I have nothing to say about how Ki-Jana Carter’s Bengals tenure went that doesn’t include multiple four-letter words that would get this column blocked on a work computer.

After three games and three losses for Frank Reich, Collins became the Panthers’ starting quarterback. He had a bumpy rookie season, but really came into his own in Year 2. He was able to limit his mistakes and the Panthers made an improbable run to the NFC Championship Game their second year in existence. Collins made his first Pro Bowl appearance that season, but things would fall apart for him afterward. He led the league in interceptions in 1997, and 1998 saw him get cut by Carolina after having a breakdown fueled by alcoholism. Fortunately, Collins was able to recover and went on to have a lengthy NFL career.

3. Steve Beuerlein

Beuerlein bounced around the NFL with varying results for the first several years of his career. He started with the Raiders, but incurred the wrath of Al Davis by holding out for more money. He then went to the Cowboys to back up Troy Aikman, then when he had some success in that role that created problems between Aikman & Jimmy Johnson. His two-season tenure in Arizona ended with Buddy Ryan blaming him for all the team’s problems, and his one season in Jacksonville saw him unable to get along with Tom Coughlin.

So when Beuerlein got to Carolina and only had to deal with Kerry Collins flaming out, it was finally a chance for him to prove himself as a competent NFL quarterback. Which he did, leading the NFL in passing yards in 1999 & earning a Pro Bowl spot. ’99 was by far Beuerlein’s best season, throwing for over 4400 yards & 36 touchdowns. Had the Panthers managed to go better than 8-8, Beuerlein would be more fondly remembered.

2. Jake Delhomme

Delhomme was so lightly regarded coming out of Louisiana-Lafayette that he went undrafted in 1997. The Saints picked him up and he spent most of his time in NFL Europe. While Jake was a fan favorite in New Orleans & showed some potential in preseason games, the Saints had no interest in giving him a shot at the QB job while they had Aaron Brooks & Jeff Blake both under contract. He wound up signing with Carolina in 2003, and won himself the starting job after filling in for Rodney Peete at halftime in Week 1 by leading the Panthers back from a 17 point deficit to beat the Buccaneers.

2003 was nearly an impossible dream season for the Panthers, as Delhomme led the Panthers to the Super Bowl where they would lose by a field goal to the New England Patriots. Going to the Super Bowl two seasons after going 1-15 is nothing to sneeze at. The Panthers would have an up & down decade, but with the exception of 2007 when he was injured, Delhomme was a consistent presence in the pocket. He had career highs in touchdowns & passing yards in 2004, and made the Pro Bowl in 2005. 2008 saw him lead the Panthers to a 12-4 record, but the bloom was off the rose when he threw 18 interceptions in 11 games in 2009. Still, a tremendous run for an undrafted quarterback.

Honorable Mention: Rodney Peete

Peete had been out of the mix for a number of years before popping up in Carolina in 2002. The Panthers had gone 1-15 in 2001 with Chris Weinke starting at quarterback, and pretty much anything seemed like an improvement on paper, so the thirty-six year old got a shot. Peete did pretty well, certainly an upgrade from what they got out of the position a year earlier, and led the team to a 7-7 record in his 14 starts.

Here’s something funny: People were calling Peete “old” back then. These days, 36 is just the beginning of one’s athletic career.

1. Cam Newton

There was no doubt who the Panthers would pick with the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, even if they had chosen Jimmy Clausen in the second round the season before. After winning every award & championship there was to win at Auburn, Cam Newton was a no-brainer for any team with the slightest question at quarterback. A quarterback with his size & athletic ability was bound to be successful, and Newton became one of the NFL’s most popular & talked about quarterbacks.

Cam collected all types of awards during his tenure in Carolina. He was the first Panther to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and 2015 saw him become the first Panther to win the MVP & first Black quarterback to win the award outright. Newton had three Pro Bowl selections in his first nine seasons with the Panthers. With more games played than any other Panthers quarterback by a wide margin, it’s no surprise he owns all the relevant passing records.

Unfortunately, Carolina never found consistent success during Cam’s time there. They would be good one season, not so good the next, good again, rinse & repeat. 2015 was the organization’s high water mark. 15 regular season wins and their best chance to win a Super Bowl. Another issue facing Cam: his physical playing style combined with referees’ inclination not to penalize teams for abusing him combined with the Panthers’ inclination not to invest in an offensive line led to him taking a good amount of punishment. Newton breaking down was bound to happen.

Thanks for reading! Join us next time when we look at the…Chicago Bears?

Oh boy.

Cook’s Top 5: Arizona Cardinals Quarterbacks
Cook’s Top 5: Atlanta Falcons Quarterbacks
Cook’s Top 5: Baltimore Ravens Quarterbacks
Cook’s Top 5: Buffalo Bills Quarterbacks
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