The biggest improvement for the Panthers? It might be at the top | Opinion

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We don’t know if it was a coincidence that when the Carolina Panthers were one of the NFL’s worst teams, their owner David Tepper also was hitting bottom. He recklessly pulled out of a major practice and team facility in South Carolina. He impulsively visited a Charlotte restaurant because of a critical but playful sign out front. He peevishly tossed a drink at a fan at a Panthers’ road game. The Panthers were bad, but their owner was cringeworthy.

We also don’t know if it’s a coincidence that the team’s growth on the field since has come with Tepper avoiding the wrong kind of headlines. Has he also been more patient in the front office, more willing to let his front office and coach build a winning culture and roster? Perhaps.

We do know we’ve seen a lot of good from Tepper lately. He’s been an active and thoughtful benefactor in Charlotte. He’s brought a diverse lineup of fun events uptown. His franchise has not only won more games, it’s rebuilt relationships with former players, including one of the team’s most celebrated stars, Cam Newton. On Saturday, before the Panthers’ NFL Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, Newton made an electric atmosphere even more special when he returned to Bank of America Stadium to bang the big Panthers’ drum.

The Panthers lost the game, but fans have been OK with that. It’s not just that they’re glad to have their Panthers be relevant, or that the team avoided fumbling its big moment with a dud on the field. It’s that the Panthers have quietly built goodwill on and off the field.

Tepper is a significant part of that. If you believe — as we and others once did — that the team’s failures and culture started at the top, you also should acknowledge that success is built from the owner’s box down. The Panthers may not be a successful NFL team just yet, but that seemed a lot closer on Saturday. The stadium rocked. The team almost shocked. And the owner? He was once again blissfully and smartly in the background.

That’s no coincidence.

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This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 6:00 AM.