Now in his second season with Carolina as tight ends coach, Pat McPherson joined the Panthers after serving in the same role for the last 14 years with the Seattle Seahawks. The two-time Super Bowl champion adds 28 years of coaching experience in the NFL, making stops in San Francisco (1996) and Denver (1998-2008) prior to his time in Seattle (2010-2023).
In his first season with the Panthers (2024), McPherson was instrumental in the development of rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders. He guided the fourth-round draft pick to a franchise-best 342 receiving yards by a rookie tight end, surpassing Ian Thomas, and second-best mark with 33 receptions by a rookie tight end. Sanders finished the season tied for second among rookie tight ends in the league in both catches and yards and tied for third in touchdowns (one). Despite playing in only 12 games, tight end Tommy Tremble reeled in a career-high 234 yards under McPherson's tutelage.
During his tenure in Seattle (2010-23), McPherson coached a deep group, as 23 different tight ends recorded a reception, including nine different players who caught 25+ passes in a season 16 times. Additionally, tight end Jimmy Graham earned a pair of Pro Bowl honors (2017-18) and became the franchise's all-time leader in catches (170), yards (2,048) and touchdowns (18) among tight ends in just three seasons under McPherson.
Prior to Seattle, McPherson spent 11 seasons in Denver in a variety of roles. He first joined the Broncos as a defensive assistant in 1998, switching to offensive assistant from 1999-2002, quarterbacks coach from 2003-06, and finally as tight ends coach from 2007-08. As the team's quarterbacks coach, Jake Plummer's 39-15 regular record marked the fourth-best winning percentage among all NFL signal callers (.722) and set a then franchise single-season record for passing yards (4,089).
McPherson began his coaching career with a four-year stint at his high school alma mater, Bellarmine (Calif.) College Prep. During his tenure as a linebackers/running backs coach, the team compiled a record of 35-11, won three consecutive league titles and made one section championship appearance. He also gained valuable coaching experience volunteering with the San Francisco 49ers, serving in a defensive quality control capacity in 1996.
McPherson holds a bachelor's degree in English and an MBA from Santa Clara, where he captained the football team and was voted Most Inspirational Player during his senior season (1992). McPherson was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie free agent the following year (1993). An All-State and All-America inside linebacker at Bellarmine College Prep, McPherson earned Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as a senior, before playing inside linebacker at UCLA. In April 2004, McPherson was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Born in Santa Clara, California, McPherson organized and implemented his National Multiple Sclerosis Society chapter's largest fund-raising event, the 1994 MS Walk.
McPherson has two sons, Jackson and Grayson. His father, Bill McPherson, coached in the NFL for 21 years and worked as a personnel consultant for the 49ers before retiring in 2005. In 2024, Bill McPherson earned an "Awards of Excellence" distinction from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his significant contributions to the game.
