TRANSCRIPT
President of Football Operations/General Manager
Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Opening Statement

It's good to see everybody. It's been a little while since I've talked to you guys so, [I'm] excited to talk to you guys. [I have] just a few thank you's just before we get started, just talk about the season, and then I'll answer any questions that you guys may have. First off, I just wanted to acknowledge our ownership, Dave and Nicole Tepper. They're a great example of how to operate a team. They're selfless, no egos, and they've just been a big reason for our success with how they operate together, support and trust myself, [Head Coach] Dave [Canales], and [Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Brandt [Tilis] to do our jobs and we definitely don't take that lightly. [Chief Executive Officer, Tepper Sports & Entertainment and President, Carolina Panthers] Kristi Coleman and the business side, we appreciate their support getting the game day atmosphere the way that it's been. It's been awesome, and she's done a great job on that side. My crew, working with Brandt, [Director of College Scouting] Jared Kirksey, [Director of Pro Scouting] Lee McNeil on the pro side. We have a lot of good chemistry going on over there. They're great teammates, and we're looking forward to putting a free agent plan together, setting the draft board, and getting this thing going. I really want to thank our fans for all the love and support that they gave us throughout the year. The environment was just unreal on Saturday night. You know, kind of gave me chills sitting up there just looking at the crowd, looking at the fans, looking at the excitement, the city coming together, this region coming together, the Carolinas. It's just amazing what football can do to a community. So it was just awesome to see, and I can't thank the fans enough for coming out, supporting us, and just showing us love all season. It wasn't perfect throughout the season, but you guys stuck in there with us through thick and thin, and again, we really appreciate that. Coach Canales and his staff, they spend a lot of hours in the office away from their families. That definitely doesn't go—we don't take that lightly. We know they put a lot of work in and they're away from their families. We really appreciate them just for their hard work and dedication to the team throughout the season.

Talk about Dave a little bit, just his leadership, how optimistic he is, you know, his football acumen. Just his ability to develop our players, lead our players, and he's just done a great job of really shifting the culture and making this culture a winning culture. Like we're expecting to win now. We're not coming into a season unsure. We feel like we know where we are. We feel like we know who we are. We're just ready to get to work, and we got to earn—everything that we get, we have to earn. We know this season will be wiped away, 2025. We're going to transition into 2026, but we got to earn everything. We have to earn everything and it's only going to be by hard work, our players staying together, and I've just really seen our locker room just really come together, family environment. This is the type of environment that we want to create here in Carolina, it is the family environment that attracts all types of free agents, all types of guys. Obviously, we're going to select the right guys for our culture, for our scheme, and I just think Dave has done a great job. He's definitely a coach that I would want to play for if I was still playing. Also, I just want to recognize and acknowledge the people behind the scenes. The equipment staff getting the players on the right cleats, right equipment, washing the clothes. You know, the chefs making the food, fueling our players. Our analytics department giving us information that we can make informed decisions on. So they're behind the scenes. They're not always talked about, but obviously we really appreciate them. Special shoutout just to [Vice President of Player Health & Performance] Denny Kellington and [Director of Performance] Josh Hingst. We went from the bottom half of being injured last year to the top half this year, so we went into the playoffs with a pretty much healthy team, and that's hard to do in this league. I just think they've done a great job, so just want to shout them out. In terms of the season, I love the way our players competed on a day-to-day basis and game-to-game basis. It wasn't always perfect, but you can really feel the chemistry and the continuity of our team really come together as the season went on. Our locker room was tight. Again, it was like a family environment in there, and that's what we want here. We want these guys to be close because we're only going to go as far as the players. They got to be close in order to go where we want to go. This is definitely a close locker room. It's made up of the right guys, and from my seat we'll continue to add guys that fit the mold for the type of player that we want to add into our culture. We have a high standard of play. We're smart, tough, physical, high effort, play with high energy, and we just have to uphold that standard on a game-to-game basis. No matter where we play, who we play, what time we play, we have to uphold that standard. I know our players know that and they're hungry to get back at it and attack the offseason. As it pertains to the roster, again, I feel like we have a strong foundation of guys. I think that they—it's definitely something foundation-wise that we can build upon, and that's my job and my team's job and Coach's job and all of us collaborating together to bring the right guys and build this thing the right way. We're still going to be patient. We're not going to be reckless, but we're definitely going to attack our weaknesses like we've done the past couple years. With that, I'll open it up to any questions you guys have.

On how much he can share regarding Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero's contract extension

Yeah, so we aligned him and [Head Coach] Dave [Canales] up before the season. We think highly of [DC Ejiro Evero] EJ. EJ has a really great football mind. We love his defense. It's a really aggressive defense. I think as we continue to add players to the defense, I think that you'll see this defense kind of come together. We made a lot of improvements on the defensive side of the ball this year and we'll continue to get better and add pieces. We're up for that challenge.

On if he aligned Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero's contract and HC Dave Canales' prior to the '25 season

Yes, correct.

On what he saw Saturday from the fans and what that says about where he is at this point versus where he thought this team would be right now

I think it definitely tells us that we're on the right path. Again, though, I mean, just to hit on this a little more, that atmosphere was unbelievable. Like I was here in 2003, 2004 when we played the Cowboys in that playoff game, and I've never seen the crowd like that. So, again, that was unbelievable and really a credit to them for showing up and showing out and supporting our team. It's definitely what I envisioned when I took this job, but I see even bigger things moving forward to where this is going to be a consistent thing and not just a flash in the pan.

What he saw out of QB Bryce Young and if he feels like he's a franchise quarterback

Yeah, just to hit on Bryce, we're going pick up his fifth-year option. I think Bryce has shown flashes of greatness this year against high level competition. I think just as a team, we weren't as consistent as we wanted to be on a game-to-game basis, but I think that's part of what happens when you have a young team. You have a young team that is building continuity and kind of figuring themselves out. So I think Bryce did a great job this year, and just really excited about moving forward and him still developing chemistry with our receivers and just the pieces around him that we add.

On what he liked out of QB Bryce Young's play this season

I would say if you look at Bryce on a day-to-day basis out there, his work ethic, his ability to command the huddle out there, take control of the line of scrimmage, make the proper checks, make the proper protection calls, and then really having that translate into Sunday or Saturday or whenever we play. I just felt like he had a lot more command out there this year. Really just kind of like coming into his own and getting better every week. You know, just attacking every day. That's really all you can ask for just from any player, let alone your quarterback.

On if he has a better idea of what T Ikem Ekwonu's injury timeline looks like and how it impacts the contract discussions

He didn't get his surgery yet so timeline-wise I really don't have anything for you guys. We're going to obviously take that on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month basis. From my seat, obviously like, yeah, we have to plan accordingly, which we'll do. We'll gather up and I'll talk with Brandt, Coach Canales, and we'll come up with a plan as we gather more facts. I think it's just too early right now to really know timeline-wise when he'll be back.

On Ekwonu's contract discussions

Yeah, contract stuff, again, that stuff—it's two days removed from the season. Myself and Brandt, Coach Canales, we'll all get together and talk about the plan moving forward and we'll go from there. On improving by using that patient, not reckless approach and if he anticipates the offseason being similar to that, or with the win-now mentality to maybe go at the approach a little bit more aggressively I think we're always going to have the win-now mentality. Even last year we had the win-now mentality. We're going to do what's best just for the organization, and we're going to trust our plan, our processes. We're not going to be reckless, but at the same time, we're going to bring talent in here. We're going to make moves that we feel like will help us out in the future. You know, who that is, you know, whether it's a free agent or draft or—we're going to attack it and we're going to make the right moves.

On what he thinks of the draft class and what he prioritizes with the 19th-overall draft pick

I think we've done a lot of work already on the draft. I think we already have like 600 and some guys on the board. It's early. Picking at 19, there will be a good player there, so we're going to have optionality on what we want to do. I think everything is on the table. I think there will be a really good player there if we want to pick. Again, I'll leave all options on the table. At the end of the day, we'll get a good player right there.

On RB Rico Dowdle not being happy with his carries the last part of the season and if he can explain why they decreased and if it had anything to do with him not planning to resign

No, I think it's more just the flow of the game type thing. There are only so many carries to go around, there's only so many drives, and I think it just kind of worked out that way. Him not being as productive on the back end or just our running backs in general not being as productive on the back end I think all that works together. The offensive line has to be right. Receivers have to be blocking right. So it's not just one guy or one thing. They all have to work together for the run game to get going. In terms of Rico, resigning him or—I think it's still early in the season. I think you let those guys take a break, just assess if this is the right fit for them, and we'll do the same thing upstairs. We'll talk about a plan of action and go from there.

On Dowdle strongly suggesting online yesterday that he might be looking to move on and if he gave him that indication

I met with him. I had a really good conversation with him in my office upstairs. I meet with all the players before they leave for the offseason. He didn't give me any indication of that. I thought we left on a good note. We'll see where it goes from here. We'll just take it day by day.

On RB Jonathon Brooks' future with the team

First off, just seeing Jonathon around the facility every day, the way that he attacks his rehab, the way that he attacks the weight room, just always around the building with a smile on his face. He's been through so much adversity and he's overcoming it. He's looking great. He's running really well. I saw him out there running routes the other day. He looked great. So, yeah, he's doing really good. I'm really proud of him and the way he's attacked this rehab process. It's not easy. He's done great at it so we'll see where he is at. Again, take it week by week, month by month, but he's headed in a good direction.

On ILB Trevin Wallace and WR Xavier Legette and their outlook for the future

Yeah, I feel good about them. I think we're all so quick to judge these guys and they're maybe not developing as quick as the outside ones, but I think you've got to be patient with these guys. I think you've got to let them develop, let them grow. I think Trevin is still 22 years old. Xavier, it took him until his senior year to really start developing and coming into his own at South Carolina. So, I think we take a patient approach with those guys. We let them develop and keep getting better. We work with them and keep coaching them, developing them, and helping them out.

On if he has a general sense of what he is looking for in the Draft with the 19th pick and weighing needs against best available

Yeah, I think with the 19th pick, I think you never really want to force a need. Now, if it's equal and you have two guys up on the board and they're even, I'm always going to go with the need. But, yeah, I think with that pick, ideally you draft best available. You don't force a need. I feel like in my experience when you force a need it really doesn't always turn out that good. So. we're just going to draft good football players, and then same thing with free agency. We're just going to sign good football players. That doesn't mean we're not going to attack the needs in some way, whether in free agency or the draft. But definitely just want to bring good football players, good culture people into this building.

On if he has those needs identified

Oh, yeah, I've got them. Yeah, definitely. I think some of the needs aren't a secret. Just from a competitive advantage, I'm not going to really like name all the needs up here.

On extending Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero at the time that they did and what gave the organization confidence to extend his contract

Yeah, I think if you look at EJ, if you're around him every day, you see the way he works, how smart he is. I believe in his defense. I believe in his philosophy. He's really good at developing players. Again, it's my job as well to equip him with the right personnel, and again,
it's a patience thing to where we're going to attack those needs and we're going to get better across the board. I think as you see us keep adding talent on our roster, players on our roster developing, I think you'll see that defense keep ascending.

On how the pitch to free agents changes when you have tangible results to offer as opposed to a plan for building something

Yeah, I think definitely having some success makes it easier to attract those free agents. But I would also say having a coach like Coach Canales, I think guys are going to want to come here and they're going to want to play for him. Just the way that he carries himself, the enthusiasm that he has on a day-to-day basis, the way he leads those guys. This is a fun environment. We work really hard, but we also have fun doing what we do. If I was a player, again, I would want to play for a coach like that.

On if he is comfortable with Canales continuing to call offensive plays moving forward

Yeah, I think Coach does a great job, first and foremost. I think that's really his call, if he wants to promote somebody into being the playcaller, or bring somebody from the outside. We haven't really talked about that, but that is something I'm sure we'll talk about. We talk about every decision together. That's just something else that I'm sure we're going to talk about. If he feels like he needs to add somebody or promote somebody in to being the playcaller, then I trust him.

On if he might start on QB Bryce Young contract extension talk prior to this next season, or wait until after this season to address that

I think that's something that Brandt and I are still talking about. We're still talking through the roster and just kind of like where things look from the big picture view. So, yeah, that's stuff that is still up in the air, that we're still working through at this point.

On if he feels like the team is ahead of schedule

From the inside, we really don't put timelines on it. Kind of leave that for the outside. I think for us, we have the vision, we have a plan moving forward, and we're going stick to that plan and we're going to build this thing one brick at time. We have a good foundation right now. I think you're never one player away, so I think we've just got to be smart. We've got to be disciplined in our process and approach like we've been and just stick to that model.

On if they have a defensive roster that can adjust and adapt to multiple schemes if Evero were to leave to take another job

Yeah, I think obviously if he gets a job, we're going to have a plan of action and we're going to go from there. But yeah, I feel like our personnel can fit any scheme. So if we needed to adjust to a 4-3 or 3-4 if that comes, I feel like the personnel, we'll be able to adapt and adjust really quickly.

On the balance between being patient, knowing you're building something long-term, and wanting to address things right away

Again, it comes back to just being patient and developing your players. I think we're always so quick to want to go get this guy or go get that guy, but sometimes the answer is they're already on your roster. And sometimes they're not. That's for us to look at, assess with the staff, and talk through those things. But again, we've been—since I've been in charge, per se, we're always going to attack those needs and be aggressive in those situations, and we're also going to develop the guys on our roster and they're going to get better and grow. We'll just be that type of program.

On how much he thinks he needs to add cost control to the offensive line group

Yeah, I definitely feel like that is an area that I would like to add to, even before Ickey's injury. We want to obviously keep our strengths strong, and I think the only way to do that is drafting young guys and just staying ahead of the curve, in terms of positions and just kind of looking ahead in that succession planning. We feel good about our offensive-line. I'm glad we kept our core together this year. I think it really paid dividends for us this year. We had, I think 15 different offensive line combinations. We didn't have the same offensive line combination play together I don't think all year long. So getting those guys back I think was huge for us because they had that familiarity with our system, and I think it definitely helped us in the long term.

On players that stood out to him this season

Yeah, I think there are a lot of guys. Not to pinpoint one guy because I was really proud of just in general how our guys competed and attacked every day out there. But, yeah, I think there was a lot of really good things, whether it's a young guy that really showed up and showed out or a guy that's been here and he developed and got better. I think that, yeah, there was a lot of guys that caught my eye that way.

On the growth of Canales this season

Yeah, I mean, I think that right there, and I think every year, whether it's me or whether it's somebody in our building, one of our scouts, we should be getting better every single year. We should always be looking for ways to improve, and Dave is no different. I just think he's done such a great job of his messaging to our players on a week-to-week basis, keeping them in a positive mindset, and like I said before, just developing that culture of winning, positive attitude; we're going into this game to win, we're not going into in game with any questions in our head. I just think he's done a great job leading our team.

On how far away this team is from going to the Super Bowl

Again, like we can talk about like, 'Hey, I think we're going to the Super Bowl this year.' That's our goal every year. We want to win the NFC South and have a home playoff game. We want to go to the NFC Championship. We want to win the Super Bowl. But I always go back to just we got to put the work in. Like everybody in this building from myself to my scouts to the coaching staff, the assistants, the players, nothing is going to be given to us. We have to earn everything that we want. It's just about putting the work in and rolling our sleeves up and that's how we're going to get to where we want to go.

On WR Jalen Coker and him being an exclusive rights free agent

Yeah, I'm really proud of Jalen, just another guy that's been through adversity with injuries and has overcome it. Credit to him. He put the work in. He got his body right. Reshaped his body. He looks like a different player, and it shows on the field. Again, it goes back to the work. You put the work in in the offseason, you put the work in during the season, it's going to show on the field. Jalen is a prime example of that. Just put the work in and he's a resilient guy. He came back and played great, so in terms of the contract and stuff, like that stuff, again, me and Brandt are talking through. Timing on when to extend him and give him a deal, that's all stuff we're going to talk about.

On if QB Bryce Young's ankle bothered him during the second half of the season

[The] second half of the season I think it's not just Bryce, it's every player. Everybody is dealing with something. Yeah, I'm sure it was [bothering him]. He's the type of guy who is never going to complain. He's going to go out there and practice and push through. That's what you really respect about Bryce, is he's a tough dude. He's a really tough dude. If his ankle was bothering him he sure enough didn't tell me, didn't tell Coach. He just went out there and played. Again, he's selfless and a great teammate, and those are the type of guys that we want around here.

On the tight end room this season and if he is thinking about adding to it this offseason

I think the tight ends did a great job, from [TEs] Tommy [Tremble] to Mitch [Evans], JT [Ja'Tavion Sanders], before he got hurt, James Mitchell coming in here late. We ask those guys to do a lot. We ask them to block in the run game. We ask them to protect. We ask them to run out on routes. So I think that we have a really good tight end room as a whole. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't add somebody in the tight end room. Again, we want to create competition at every position group, so that's not out of the question.

On the chemistry CBs Mike Jackson and Jaycee Horn have developed and if he is looking to extend Jackson's contract

Yeah, you look at Mike Jack and Jaycee, arguably one the top corner duos in the league. They put the work in. They are always out there working with each other, taking the young guys under their wing. Really good leaders out there and the type of guys that we want. We
extended Mike Jack last year. You know, again that's something me and Brandt have to talk about. He'll have one year left on his deal this year, and then, yeah, so it's something me and Brandt will talk through and come up with a strategy.

On the rookie class and if there was anyone that exceeded expectations or surprised him

I'm just really proud of all of them. I think that they all competed at a high level every single day. To come in as a rookie, it's not easy and it's not easy to play that many games and be locked in. You're usually done playing your college season -- they're not used to playing as many games as we play. For them to come in on a week-to-week basis with the work ethic that they showed, I just thought they were all really impressive.

On WR Tetairoa McMillan and seeing his development throughout the season

Yeah, I think we definitely envisioned what we got from TMac. Otherwise I don't think we would've drafted him at No. 8. He's done a great job. Just another guy that comes in, he works, attention to detail, and it shows on the field on Sundays.

On if he felt like the defense played too soft on the final drive of the Wild Card game against the Rams

You know, again, I trust EJ and the defense that he puts out there. I'm never going to question what he does. I know he has a plan, same way where I have a plan for attacking free agency, the draft. He trusts me. I trust him. That's what we have around here. We all trust each other to do our jobs, and I'm never going to question anything that he does.

On balancing the successes and challenges of the season, especially towards the end of the season

Yeah, I think we made a lot of progress. A lot of progress, a lot of growth, a lot of development from our young guys and even guys that were here. We're really optimistic about the future. Like I said before, it's about putting the work in. They have a taste now of that environment. If anything, I think it's just going to make guys hungrier than they already are. The guys want to win around here. They want to bring a championship to this city, to the Carolinas, and that's their focus right now.

On how much longer he thinks the players on the roster over the age of 35 can play, specifically QB Andy Dalton, LS JJ Jansen and P Sam Martin

Yeah, I mean, they make our—like we're the fifth youngest team in the NFL right now, so we'd probably be a little higher if we didn't have them on our team. They're all really good players and they're guys that we value around here. You know, I think that's something that we'll talk about in terms of resigning JJ, resigning all those guys. So, yeah, I think they can play as long as they want to, but it's a two-way street. We have to figure out what's best for us, what's best for the Panthers. So we'll see moving forward.

On if he's open to developing a young quarterback behind Young

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think we want to add competition to every room, quarterback is no different. Yeah, that could be something we do this offseason.

On if he has a core memory from this season

You know, I think obviously like there were some ups and downs during the season. I am just really proud of the way our guys, in the biggest moments, they came and they competed. So like you go into Green Bay to a hostile environment and you beat a team that arguably was the best team in the NFL at the time. Then the Rams come here, another team that was arguably the best team in the NFL, we beat them. Then to play like we did against them [The Rams] on Saturday night, it just makes me excited about the future. They're performing in these big games. We know we have it in us to play that type of football all the time. That's where we have to become more consistent. We know who we are. Just play to our standard the play.

On if he has an update on when the indoor practice facility will be done

I don't. I think that's something you could probably talk to the other side about but it looks like they're making progress out there. Looks like it's going to be awesome just from all the things I saw. So that will be really cool when that's done.

On if there is anyone else who needs a cleanup surgery outside of Ekwonu

There may be a few guys here and there, but nothing really major to really report to you guys.