Carolina Panthers to play in Hall of Fame game before Luke Kuechly’s induction
The Carolina Panthers will send their entire roster to Canton, Ohio, to celebrate Luke Kuechly’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in August.
The team will play the Arizona Cardinals in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m., the team announced Wednesday. The exhibition matchup will serve as the Panthers’ first of four preseason games this summer.
The Panthers most recently faced the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 2 of last season, a 27-22 road loss.
Panthers to play in HOF game for first time since 1995
The Panthers last played in the Hall of Fame game in 1995 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both expansion franchises were in their first respective campaigns, and the exhibition matchup served as a launching point for the newly minted squads.
Since that time, the NFL has reduced the preseason schedule to three games. However, the Hall of Fame game participants will have four matchups because of the early exhibition bout.
Due to the additional game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in the Midwest, the Panthers will begin their training camp schedule earlier than the bulk of the league. They’ll get additional time to prepare for the neutral site showdown.
The rest of the Panthers’ preseason schedule, as well the regular-season slate, will be announced later in the offseason.
The Hall of Fame game will give Panthers fans an additional opportunity to see their team up-close or on television. Carolina’s training camp will be without fan attendance for a second consecutive summer as the team continues to enhance its practice facility.
Luke Kuechly’s HOF homecoming
Kuechly, 34, was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last month during his second year of eligibility.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native will be enshrined roughly 230 miles from the city where he grew up. During his eight-year career, Kuechly made seven Pro Bowl appearances and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.
“I’m still uncomfortable talking about myself,” Kuechly said last month. “I’m uncomfortable for a lot of reasons. There are so many people who worked hard, who worked as hard as I did. But I was in such a great situation. I was in a defense that highlighted what (fellow inside linebacker) Thomas (Davis) and I did really well. We had a lot of unselfish guys around us. And in football, in sports, you’re often a product of your situation.
“People can argue that if they want. But I was in a great situation in Carolina, with fantastic coaches, with great guys, with a defense that allowed me to run around. And I’m just fortunate that that’s where I ended up.”
The 2012 first-round pick played his entire career in Carolina and was a five-time All Pro selection.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 12:02 PM.
