Super Bowl Timeline: How Long Until the Panthers Are Playing the Big Game?

You can never really predict when a team is going to make the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots probably did not expect to be here after winning four games and firing their head coach last year. The Seattle Seahawks are probably a little surprised by the rapid turnaround, too.

The Carolina Panthers haven't been to the Big Game in exactly one decade. They haven't won it ever, so fans are certainly waiting for the franchise's next opportunity to finally break through. They've been twice and suffered heartbreak in different ways both times.

In 2004, the Panthers lost on a last-second field goal after a kickoff out of bounds set it up in the finals econds. In 2016, the Panthers looked like the best team in the world and ran into a buzzsaw defense.

When will their next opportunity come?

How soon can the Panthers expect to be in the Super Bowl?

The Super Bowl LX (60) logo is unveiled at the Super Bowl LIX host committee handoff press conference | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Panthers are taking the traditional route to improvement. Since 2023, they've moved up incrementally every year, going from two wins to five and then eight and a surprising playoff berth in 2025.

Assuming the same trajectory holds, they should easily defend the crown and make the playoffs again, this time probably winning 10 or more games. However, that still doesn't quite make them a true title contender.

The team is still in need of a lot of things. They can't fix the tight end, center, left tackle, edge rusher, linebacker, and safety spots all in one offseason. They will fix some of them, but they won't make the Super Bowl with major holes like that.

That would imply that in 2027, they will be Super Bowl contenders, but it's not that simple. By then, Bryce Young will be extended, and his new salary, even if it's not the $55+ million deals QBs can get nowadays, is going to change things.

The Panthers will have to spend differently and won't have the free resources to throw at other spots. Young will be better, but this probably means it will be another year before the Panthers are true, legitimate contenders.

Once they address the holes, recoup from the initial extension for Young, and as long as they continue to draft well and make smart moves, they could realistically be in the Super Bowl in 2028.

That may seem like a long time to wait, but they've been arguably only on this current rebuilding track since 2024, which means it won't be that long.

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