NFL insider limits Panthers' 2025 ceiling after late-season flourish, draft excellence

The Panthers did well to end the 2024 season and have had a good offseason.

Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales reacts in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers seem like a team trending in the right direction. There's a lot of good buzz around them, and there's a feeling that they could be this year's Washington Commanders, a team that aces the offseason and exits the NFL's basement and enters the playoffs.

However, Panthers fans probably shouldn't expect a surprise Cinderella run in 2025. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer fully expects them to continue rising, but he doesn't think they're poised for greatness this year.

"The Panthers feel like they finally have some stability. A 4–5 finish and two overtime wins in last season’s final three weeks doesn’t sound like some huge step. However, it was, and even better, Bryce Young reacted perfectly to Dave Canales benching him, which was a pretty big dice roll for a new head coach," Breer began.

All of that should lead to more success, but not too much. "The roster still has a ways to go, but if guys such as Tetairoa McMillan, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen get off to a fast start, maybe Carolina will flirt with .500," Breer concluded.

At best, Carolina probably looks like an eight-win team this year. Maybe they surprise and win nine games, but that'd be a shock and it still wouldn't be enough to make a playoff run. Generally speaking, Commanders and a few others notwithstanding, rebuilds take more than an offseason.

Even if including the 2023 season, rebuilds typically take more than two seasons, especially when the rebuild began by gutting the roster and future draft capital to move up to the first overall pick. These things take time, and Breer wants everyone to remember that the ceiling for the 2025 Panthers in particular is still fairly low.

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