5 greatest Panthers to never make an NFC Championship game
By Dean Jones
Jon Beason – Former Carolina Panthers LB
- 2007-2013
There is no doubting the quality Jon Beason brought to the Carolina Panthers. The linebacker played the game with an exceptional ferocity that made him an instant fan favorite with the team’s loyal fanbase after joining the organization as a first-round pick in 2007.
A three-year stretch from 2008-2010 saw the former Miami Hurricane emerge as one of the best in the business, making three straight Pro Bowls and earning a first-team All-Pro selection in just his second campaign in a professional environment.
Things took an extremely unfortunate turn after that. Beason suffered some significant injury problems – turning out just five times over the next two years – and was eventually traded to the New York Giants in 2013.
Beason managed to play 12 games immediately following the trade but featured nine times from 2014-2015 before eventually calling it a day.
The player obviously looks back at his career with a sense of what might have been. Had Beason not fallen foul to injury at the peak of his powers, there is nothing to suggest he wouldn’t have become one of the Panthers’ best-ever.
He finished his career in Carolina with 572 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, four sacks, three forced fumbles, 33 passes defended, and nine interceptions over a seven-year period. Sadly, this was not enough for Beason to reach an NFC Championship game with the Panthers.