CHARLOTTE — Now that the Pro Football Hall of Fame has inducted its Class of 2025, including former Panther Jared Allen , it's time to start looking ahead to next year's class.

And there will be plenty of representation from Carolina on next year's ballot, and in years to come.

Legendary linebacker Luke Kuechly is an automatic finalist this year, based on the results of last year's voting.

The Hall adjusted its rules in 2024 to create a more restrictive environment, which led to a class of just three modern-era players this year ( Jared Allen , Eric Allen, and Antonio Gates), when it's normally five per year, plus any seniors or coaches or contributors.

That math problem left many frustrated that Kuechly didn't follow Julius Peppers (2024) in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer las

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