CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers haven't been in existence long, at least compared to other clubs, but the team has sent a string of guys to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during that time. In total, eight Hall of Famers have ties to the Panthers (six players, former general manager Bill Polian, and Donnie Shell, former director of player development from 1994 to 2009, who is in the Hall for his 14-year career with the Steelers), an impressive number for such a young team.

It is the run over the last five years, though, that has helped Carolina make its mark on Canton, with four guys getting their gold jackets during that time, including three defenders shaped by Charlotte: Sam Mills, Julius Peppers, and — the latest inductee — Luke Kuechly. As such, in turn, Canton has made its mark on the Carolinas.

"That's the standard that the guys can live up to," preached coach Dave Canales on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Kuechly received his bust and made his speech at the Hall of Fame enshrinement.

The 2026 Panthers had the day off on Saturday during the speech, with guys scattered about. But with Peppers and Kuechly going into the Hall during Canales' tenure thus far in Carolina, the coach leans on both whenever possible, letting his team learn from them in intimate settings.

"Julius Peppers, Luke Kuechly, Luke's around a lot more; Julius popped in and out a couple times. I had (Julius) just talk when he came," Canales shared. "I just had him say some words to the team. He talked about relationships. He talked about the same thing Luke said in his speech.

"It's the locker room, it's the travel, it's in the hotels. It was at Wofford; those types of moments are the things that you remember, and both guys just played with everything they had."

It's that last part that Canales really wants his team to tap into. Saturday was the manifestation of Kuechly's hard work, and proof that something can be worked towards. The entire weekend also reemphasized the standard that is becoming more and more associated with the franchise.

"To be great, it takes that kind of standard," expounded Canales. "And you can't really control the opportunities or your ability to be one of the leading players making sacks in the NFL. You can't be Luke Kuechly who's all over the place, necessarily. But if you want to have a chance to do it, there's a way you have to work."

Kuechly, to Canales' point, is in the building a lot. He is a color analyst for the Panthers radio network, co-hosts a podcast with long snapper JJ Jansen in the Panthers podcast network, hops into episodes of The Huddle with Thomas Davis, and some days, just wants to come see what's going on at practice.

Having him around so much means players can learn at the feet of the best; from guys like middle linebacker Devin Lloyd, who recently had a film session with Kuechly, to those like quarterback Bryce Young, who leans on Kuechly to learn how to better read NFL defenses.

"I try to pick (Luke's) brain about any and everything. One of the best football minds to ever play," shared Young on Sunday.

"I think that every time he's in the building — and he's so gracious with his time; he'll interact with all of us. You could ask most everyone who's at least been here for a substantial amount of time, and they've had conversations, have a relationship with Luke.

"He's always willing to comment on stuff, and I think what's so important is, he's always commenting to try and improve and give. It's not, 'We would have done this, X, Y, Z, this is wrong.' It's just having those little gems. So we've all gotten a ton from him being around."

Still, even though it's not uncommon at least once every couple of weeks to see Kuechly walk through the door, seeing him walk on the field Thursday night, honored with the rest of the 2026 class before the Hall of Fame game (for which many Panthers arrived in Kuechly jersey's) will be a memory Young cherishes.

"It was so cool just being able to be there (Thursday), be a part of it, watch him walk down the field and then get to hear the speech and everything," said Young. "Having him around is such a privilege; he really embodies what it means to be a Panther, be a pro."