CHARLOTTE — Luke Kuechly is not prone to effusive self-promotion. The Hall of Fame linebacker is, in fact, famously humble, so much so that when he sat down on Tuesday to meet with local media a week and a half after being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the 2026 class, the first question was if Kuechly is prepared to talk about himself for the next six months, leading up to induction weekend.

"No, hopefully, that's what this is for," Kuechly joked, referencing the press conference, "so you guys can do it for me."

Kuechly has always been one to shift the spotlight towards his teammates, even when his play demands it. And in 2013, his on-field performance absolutely demanded the limelight. He won the Associated Press defensive player of the year honors that season, behind 156 tackles, including 10 for loss, 2.0 sacks, four interceptions, seven passes defensed, and two quarterback hits.

But on Tuesday, when asked what game or play best encapsulates his eight-year career, he pointed to the Week 7 game from that 2013 season against the St. Louis Rams, a game that statistically was the worst of Kuechly's career. He recorded a mere three tackles, none for loss, and no quarterback hits.

"I played awful," Kuechly spat, still upset with himself more than 12 years later. "I wasn't doing my job, I was probably being pretty selfish with how I was playing, fortunately we won the game, but I played awful, I wasn't doing my job. I think I set some guys up to fail with how I was playing. I wasn't doing my job, which didn't allow other people to do theirs."

Of the 125 career games in which Kuechly played (regular and postseason), there was only one other game in which he produced a worse stat line: the 2018 season finale, in which he was pulled after five snaps to rest starters before the playoffs. The rest of his career (save those two games), he averaged 9.35 tackles a game. But that Rams game lingers.

"I had like three tackles, and I was pissed, but we won, so I was like, 'OK, it's all right.'"

By that point, Kuechly—the 2012 defensive rookie of the year—had started 22 games in his NFL career. Kuechly had always been one of the smartest and most athletic on the field, a lethal combination. The following Monday, after what felt to him like a dud of a game, he faced the lesson that every guy in the NFL has to learn at some point: do your job.

"(Then Panthers defensive coordinator) Sean McDermott came to me on Monday after we did all of our tape review, watched everything, did everything we needed to do, and he pulled me aside, and he said, 'Hey, what did you learn from yesterday?'

"And I was like, 'I got to get to the ball faster. I had no ball production.' And he just kind of looked at me, and I quickly realized that was probably the wrong answer, and I didn't have any answers, and he said, 'No, it's not really what happened.' He said, 'You didn't do your job, and you were trying to make plays that weren't yours, and they were hitting in your gap.'

"Nothing was coming my way, early on in the game, and I was getting bored and bored and bored, and then I was trying to reach and make plays in areas that I shouldn't be, and when I was reaching to make those plays cause I was bored, the ball was hitting where I should have been, and as a result, big plays happen, people looked bad because of my poor play, and McD very, patiently said, 'You need to make the plays that come to you. That's all we need you to do.'"

The shining example of that, at the time, was Kuechly's partner-in-crime, Thomas Davis.

"Thomas would have a game where he'd have four tackles, and he would grade out as like a 95 percent success grade on the game, because he would do his job. He wasn't making tackles, he wasn't having sacks, he wasn't showing up on the stat sheet, but he was doing his part to allow the team to have success, and that's why I love Thomas, and that was one thing that I think I learned, fortunately, early on in my career."

The shift in focus paid off. In the next game, Kuechly had eight total tackles. Two weeks later, he had 11 in a 10-9 win over the 49ers. He'd never have less than six in a game the rest of the season, and posted a massive 24 tackles in a 17-13 win over the Saints in Week 16.

Everything that came after, leading to what is now officially a Hall of Fame career, Kuechly traces back to that week, that game, and the worst performance of his NFL playing time. It changed everything in the best way.

"Do your job, let stuff come to you, and everything's going to be all right, and I think that was a really pivotal point in my career."

The Bijan Reminder

Kuechly had a relatively short career, choosing to prioritize his health after a string of concussions. Even in his final year, the All-Pro linebacker had 144 tackles (his fourth-best season total), two interceptions, and five quarterback hits.

Retiring at 28 years old means the question will naturally arise: Did he think he could play longer? Does he think he could pull a Philip Rivers and still play?

"I mean, I think I used to think that early on when I got done," Kuechly admitted. "Like I miss it so much, and I had so much fun playing."

He stayed in Charlotte following his retirement, though, and found ways to stay involved, such as spending two years with the Panthers as a scout and now serving as a color commentator for the radio broadcast.

That allows him to be down on the field during pregame and, subsequently, serve as a reminder that maybe now he's exactly where he needs to be.

"I go out on the field before the game when we're doing radio, and Bijan Robinson runs by me, and I want zero to do with any of that," joked Kuechly.

Robinson, at 5-11 and 215 pounds, is a battering ram on the Falcons' offense, leading to 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025, with 11 touchdowns. He's a tough matchup for anyone, and now at 34 years old, Kuechly is fine watching from the sidelines.

"I think everybody their first year or so when they're done, they're thinking, man, I could still go play, or I still want to go play," he explained. "I have no desire to put a helmet on and put shoulder pads on because it would be really bad. So, I'm in a great place right now.

"I'll always miss the game. I'll always miss running out and playing. I'll always miss the feel and the crowd, and you miss all that stuff that'll never get out of your body.

"And then I smartened up and decided, you know what, these guys are a little bit too big, fast, and strong for me anymore."

Committed to the Queen City

When Kuechly retired, the Cincinnati native elected to stay in the Queen City, unable to cut the tether that tied him to this place.

"I got here, I turned 21 a week before the draft, so when I got down here, I was a kid trying to figure everything out, and I think for me, there were a lot of younger people in the organization when I got in," recalled Kuechly.

"I mean, (former public relations staff member) Ryan Anderson, Ryan's a couple of years older than I am, and he was my point guy with all of you, and I was so lucky to have a guy that was around my age. I was going through a lot of the same stuff, and (director of football operations) Mike Anderson, his brother, was the same way.

"Greg Almond, one of our equipment guys that is still one of my really good friends to this day. I think that was a big important factor to me, I think early on was there was younger people in the building that were just good dudes.

"Obviously, all the players I talk about, Greg (Olsen) and Thomas and Ryan (Kalil) and all those guys a lot, but I think the people pulled me in and kept me pulled in, and I just, I love the city, there's a lot to do, the people that I'm closest with still live in Charlotte."

As mentioned, he's found ways to stay involved with the team that drafted him as well, starting as a scout and now working with the team's radio broadcast team. He'll be the first Carolina Panther to go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after spending his entire career here. That kind of legacy is one most athletes only dream of, and it forged a bond that Kuechly doesn't want to lose either.

"I love the organization, the people. I've got so many great friends that I made in the organization," he explained.

"I think there's plenty of opportunities for me outside of football and then like you said, I love the team. I love the organization. I've had so much fun being around it…and then the radio broadcast with with (former Panthers' quarterback) Jake (Delhomme) and (play-by-play announcer) Anish (Shroff) and and (executive radio producer David) Langton and those guys and (sideline reporter Kristen) Balboni—and also Sharon Thorsland, her and KB split the sideline duty—our squad is so fun."

It all adds up to a permanent Charlotte resident.

"I have such a great time with it, and I see no reason to leave. So, I love the city, I love the organization. A lot of my best friends still live in Charlotte, and for me, it just makes the most sense."

Giving JJ Jansen his flowers

About an hour before Kuechly sat down for his Hall of Fame media availability, it was announced that long snapper JJ Jansen had re-signed with the Panthers, kicking off his 18th season.

"How great is that?" laughed Kuechly when the subject arose.

"JJ is a lot like Greg (Olsen) to me in the sense of a guy that's had a huge impact on my career as far as life off the field, as far as his family's the best. Laura and his four kids are unbelievable. And if you ever need something, JJ is there; he's one of my best friends."

Since the two are both still in the Queen City, it's not uncommon for Jansen and his wife, Laura, to look up some nights and find Kuechly coming down their sidewalk, inviting himself over for dinner or to hang out. And Jansen played a key role in Kuechly being surprised by his Hall of Fame reverse-knock from Julius Peppers, so they're obviously tight.

"And that's not just him, that's him and Laura as a group, and I mean, I talk about it all the time—the people that were here in Carolina when I was here, and JJ was and is one of those guys that's one of my best friends and has had a phenomenal impact on my career.

"It's just, JJ is very thoughtful in so many ways, from how he thinks about the game of football to, if you guys want to have an interesting conversation about analytics and game situations and game management, he's very thoughtful on that."

And the fact that Jansen is suiting up for his 18th season? Not a surprise at all to his friend.

"No, not at all. Not one bit," responded Kuechly. "Let's just be honest, he's big, he's strong. He takes great care of his body. I think he takes a tremendous amount of pride in his job. I think he loves the game of football. I think it scratches an itch for him that we all wish we were still playing."