CHARLOTTE — There's a lot happening here that Jaycee Horn's still trying to process.

First, his dad was crying on the phone at the news his son reached one of the highest individual accomplishments in the sport. And then he realized that he was suddenly a leader around this place. That's a lot for a 25-year-old to handle, as Horn laughed and considered himself "one of the old guys."

But when you make your first Pro Bowl in your fourth season, the expectations change. Especially when you share the news with your father, who happened to go to four Pro Bowls in his career.

"He cried yesterday when I told him, yeah, because y'all know it's been a long journey, a lot of ups and downs," Horn said of his father, former Chiefs, Saints and Falcons wideout Joe Horn. "So when I told him, that kind of choked me up a little bit when he started crying, and you know my mom was super happy. So I was more so just happy that they get to witness it and they get to be a part of it.

"He went four times and now I get to go my first time, so it's going to be a good time for the family."

He said his father had been telling him for months that he deserved the honor, but he didn't want to believe it himself, after he hadn't made it following a strong 2022 season (when he played 13 games and had three interceptions).

So when he got to deliver the news, he said his dad "was crying like a little baby."

Horn's selection came along with his increased durability, because a career with standout moments has also been marked by injuries. But by playing over 1,000 snaps in the first 15 games (he's still holding out some degree of hope for this week), he's shown he can stay healthy.

It's the way he stayed healthy that was as impressive as his stats this year, since he had just one interception all season. That means players around the league recognized the level he was playing at and what he accomplished.

And with that, and the way he worked to get himself back, he's also positioning himself for the future.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales, while praising Horn's work to keep himself available this year, said that the next step will be to share that example with the rest of the team.

"And my high hope for Jaycee is that now that he's got this (Pro Bowl honor), that he can solidify that and then continue to take steps as the leader," Canales said. "Because guys look at him and they see what he's doing and that's going to impact it."

Horn didn't know how to respond at first when asked about leadership, as he stood in front of injured linebacker Shaq Thompson's locker. He's still young, but he's also seen a lot of turnover, having played for three coaches (and two interims), and seen friends and teammates leave en masse in recent years.

Between his own level of play and having that Pro Bowl on his resume, more will be expected of him. And since he's enjoying his healthiest year, his past keeps creeping into his mind when he thinks about his own place here.

"I mean it's kind of like a weird feeling, because I know my teammates respect me, and I got in the locker room," he began. "But also like being out every year in and out, it didn't really feel like my place to speak up all the time even though I may be right. But I just feel like I need to do more and show them that I can be available and let them see me make big-time plays before I just try to run around trying to lead everybody and tell everybody what to do.

"It's just going out there and earning the respect of your teammates, so I've been, I was really focused on doing that this year, and maybe next year just try to take a bigger step in leading."

Of course, Horn's always thinking about doing a little bit more, which is part of the reason he's at this level.

Even though coaches praise his knowledge of the game, he's constantly trying to build and keep himself at this level now that he's attained it.

"A lot more work to be put in," he said. "I could be a way better player. I got a lot of room left to go, so I'm just trying to do that every day and then hopefully next year coming back and, you know, making it again.

"I'm really just learning football, you know, being out there different we learn in the classroom, but we actually get the snaps and get the reps, the game slows down a lot, so I feel like the game slowed down a lot for me from Week 1 to the last game I played or whatever, so I'm just excited to get back next year and try to stack them up."