CHARLOTTE — A long list of players with Panthers ties were among the list of 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
The big name on the list is defensive end Julius Peppers, who is likely to go through to the final 15 in his first year of eligibility.
Peppers is fourth on the league's all-time sack list with 159.5, is second all-time in forced fumbles, and was a two-time selection to the All-Decade team for the 2000s and the 2010s.
He has also been chosen to join the Panthers Hall of Honor and will be inducted alongside Muhsin Muhammad on Oct. 29 at the Panthers home game against the Texans.
View photos of former defensive end Julius Peppers, during his Hall of Honor photo shoot.
Also on the list is wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who has been a semifinalist for the last two years.
Smith is eighth all-time in receiving yards and 11th in receptions. He's been held up since three receivers have been clogged in the finalist room for a few years, with voters unable to break the logjam of Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, and Torry Holt.
The full list of 173 nominees can be seen here. The group will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in December.
There are 15 former Panthers on Tuesday's list, though some of those players had very short stints here.
That includes defensive end Jared Allen, who has been a finalist. He spent his last season here in 2015.
Panthers linebacker Sam Mills was inducted in 2022, and you can see our archive of coverage of that event here.
FORMER PANTHERS ON HALL OF FAME NOMINEE LIST
QB Jake Delhomme
RB/ST Michael Bates
RB Stephen Davis
WR/ST Eric Metcalf
WR Muhsin Muhammad
WR Steve Smith Sr.
TE Wesley Walls
OG Nate Newton
DE Jared Allen
DE Julius Peppers
LB Jessie Armstead
LB Lee Woodall
S Eugene Robinson
CB Charles Tillman
K John Kasay
View photos of former wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. during his Hall of Honor photo shoot.
