When the Carolina Panthers handed $250,000 in guarantees to undrafted free-agent quarterback Haynes King once the 2026 NFL Draft concluded, it didn’t feel like a typical flier. It felt intentional.
Because this isn’t about finding a third quarterback to stash on the practice squad. This is about finding a player who can do something the Panthers cannot ask Bryce Young to do.
If you follow that line of thinking far enough, you land on a very familiar NFL concept: the way the New Orleans Saints used Taysom Hill for years. Carolina may have just found its own version.
Carolina Panthers could have their own Taysom Hill in undrafted free agent Haynes King
Now, this isn’t a criticism of Young. It’s a reality of his build and how the Panthers use him.
Young can extend plays, scramble in space, and win from the pocket. But he is not, and never will be, a short-yardage power runner.
The Panthers don’t run quarterback sneaks. They don’t run tush push concepts. They don’t line him up under center on 3rd-and-1, asking him to fall forward past the chains.
That leaves a quiet hole in the offense. One that shows up in goal-line packages and 3rd-and-1 or 4th-and-1 calls. However, it just so happens the Panthers signed a quarterback who was one of the most productive rushers in college football last season.
In 2025 alone, King ran for 953 yards, scored 15 rushing touchdowns, and became the only Power 4 signal-caller with multiple 100-yard passing and rushing games. At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, the Georgia Tech product's game was built on designed quarterback runs, read-option, short-yardage physicality, and red-zone toughness. He excelled in almost every category.
And while that style is difficult to live on in the NFL as a full-time quarterback, it’s perfect in a package role.
King does possess limitations as a full-field progression passer. He's also 25, and not a developmental prospect. But none of that matters if the Panthers view him as a situational weapon, not a traditional quarterback. That’s how the Saints unlocked Hill's value for years, and he was an immensely difficult proposition to overcome.
Back in January, general manager Dan Morgan said the Panthers would be open to adding backup quarterbacks who could make plays with their arms and their feet. That sounded generic at the time. It doesn’t anymore.
The Panthers don’t need Young to become a short-yardage runner. They may have just signed someone who already is.
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