Now in his third season with Carolina as tight ends coach, Pat McPherson joined the Panthers after serving in the same role for the previous 14 years with the Seattle Seahawks. The two-time Super Bowl champion has 29 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).

Now in his third season with Carolina as tight ends coach, Pat McPherson joined the Panthers after serving in the same role for the previous 14 years with the Seattle Seahawks. The two-time Super Bowl champion has 29 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 2025, the tight end trio of Tommy Tremble, Ja'Tavion Sanders and rookie Mitchell Evans combined for 75 receptions, 610 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Tremble recorded single-season bests in receptions, receiving yards and reception percentage. Evans was one of only eight rookie tight ends with multiple touchdown receptions.

In his first season with the Panthers (2024), McPherson was instrumental in the development of Sandersas a rookie. He guided the fourth-round draft pick to a rookie tight end franchise-best 342 receiving yards,while his 33 receptions were the second most by a Panthers rookie tight end. Sanders finished the season tied for second among rookie tight ends in the league in catches and yards and tied for third in touchdowns (one). Despite only playing in 12 games, Tremble reeled in a then career-high 234 yards.

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, a total of 16 times. 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 (1998), switching to offensive assistant (1999-2002), quarterbacks coach (2003-06),and finally as tight ends coach (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 College Prep in San Jose, Calif. 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 (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), before he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted 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, Calif., 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 McPhersonearned an "Awards of Excellence" distinction from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his significant contributions to the game.

Coaching Career:

• 1994-97 | Bellarmine College Prep (Calif.) - Linebackers/Running Backs
• 1996 | San Francisco 49ers - Quality Control/Defense (Volunteer)
• 1998 | Denver Broncos - Defensive Assistant
• 1999-02 | Denver Broncos - Offensive Assistant
• 2003-06 | Denver Broncos - Quarterbacks
• 2007-08 | Denver Broncos - Tight Ends
• 2010-23 | Seattle Seahawks - Tight Ends
• 2024-Pres. | Carolina Panthers - Tight Ends