Add former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to the long list of people who believe Luke Kuechly should have been a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Panthers fans were hoping one of the greatest players in team history and arguably the most prolific linebacker of the modern era would get enshrined at the first time of asking. That wasn't to be, which brought disappointment and criticism in equal measure to the door of those who decided his fate.
Kuechly being forced to retire after eight seasons eventually went against him. The former first-round pick crammed a significant amount into his playing career, winning every individual accolade imaginable and coming agonizingly close to a Super Bowl. He'll be a Hall of Famer one day, but the voters determined he was unworthy of a first-ballot honor.
That's supposedly saved for the truly elite. Anyone who saw Kuechly play will tell you he was exactly that.
Cam Newton throws support behind former Carolina Panthers teammate Luke Kuechly
Prominent figures such as Deion Sanders couldn't believe Kuechly wasn't included in the 2025 class. Newton also threw support behind his old teammate during his latest 4th-and-1 podcast, stating that he ticked every box for inclusion and deserved his place in NFL immortality without having to wait around.
"That one hit me. I do. I do. Because if we’re talking about body of work, first ballot, I think Luke [Kuechly] deserved that. He has everything that any defensive player would ever want, career-wise. The respect—he has that. The accolades—he has that, Defensive Player of the Year . . . All-Pros, Pro Bowls, those type of things. Just leading the league in tackles, and just his impact—it was something that anybody would respect. And, yeah, that was one of those ones that I said, ‘Yeah, I think he got robbed'."Cam Newton via USA Today
https://t.co/v73sFYIsl2 pic.twitter.com/cOavROJT22
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) February 17, 2025
The new stipulations put in place by the committee resulted in just four modern-day inductees in 2025. There's already a backlog of outstanding players and Kuechly wasn't alone in his glaring omission. He took a more philosophical approach, focusing his attention on how deserving Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, Sterling Sharpe, and Eric Allen were. Deep down, the Boston College product knows his time will come.
Newton said what every Panthers fan was thinking about Kuechly's snub. It was egregious and cut everyone who watched him take the league by storm deeply. He remains beloved by the team's long-suffering support and sorely missed five years after his retirement. Carolina never truly replaced the cerebral assassin — they merely had to cope as best they could without him.
It's hard to put into words what Kuechly meant to the Panthers on and off the field.
From his supreme leadership and meticulous preparation away from the gridiron to becoming the beating heart of Carolina's defense between the white lines, he was nothing short of inspirational. One only has to look at the esteem in which he was held around the league as proof of his Hall-of-Fame-caliber credentials.
Hopefully, the selectors see sense and Kuechly gets his place in Canton next year. There will be nobody more deserving of the highest accolade imaginable.
Just ask Newton.