5 most important things that happened to Carolina Panthers in 2025

The 2025 season was really beneficial for the Panthers.

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) and wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. (15) reacts in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

A lot happened to the Carolina Panthers in 2025. They won the division, made the playoffs, beat the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers, saw a ton of development from young players, and more.

It was the best season we've seen in a long time, and it was highly valuable to the continued growth of this team. Here are a few reasons why.

The best things that happened to the Carolina Panthers in 2025

A playoff berth

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales and cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) react after the game in the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Regardless of how the Panthers performed, getting a playoff berth was absolutely vital. The fact that they did so well is inspiring, but just getting in was valuable experience for Bryce Young and Dave Canales.

It taught them what a playoff atmosphere is like, the level of performance it requires, and gave Canales some key insights as to how to coach a playoff game and call an offense in that situation. They'll both be significantly better for it.

Tetairoa McMillan's performance

The Carolina Panthers took a huge risk by selecting Tetairoa McMillan in the first round in 2025. At the time, they were overflowing with wide receivers, and they badly needed help on defense, namely off the edge.

Taking McMillan, who was not a consensus top-10 pick or even the consensus best non-Travis Hunter WR, was a risk, plain and simple. But it paid off wonderfully, as he's the future of the position, the Rookie of the Year, and a valuable weapon for Bryce Young.

Health for Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn

In 2024, Derrick Brown missed all but a portion of the first game. In pretty much every year before that, Jaycee Horn had struggled to stay on the field, finally playing 15 games in 2025 and earning a big contract.

Those two are the cornerstones of the defense, so the team needed to see what a unit might look like with both of them healthy. It wasn't perfect, but they were a pretty decent unit and can now build off of that.

Key rookie additions

Aside from Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers had plenty of snaps from their rookie class. That's a fantastic way to learn if any of them are going to be contributors or good players in the future, so the Panthers learned a lot.

Nic Scourton was good, as was Lathan Ransom. Princely Umanmielen and Jimmy Horn Jr. showed flashes, as did Mitchell Evans. Cam Jackson and Trevor Etienne were not that great, but that's still an impressive hit rate.

Growth for Bryce Young

It wasn't always pretty, but Bryce Young put in his best season yet. That could not have come at a better time. Now, the Panthers will pick up his option, and they have a much clearer picture of the future.

Young may not be extended now, but he's at least got two more years. Had he fizzled out this season, there would be a lot of tough choices to make and a lot less clarity than there is right now.

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