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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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This week already feels different for NFL fans.
For the first time in months, we'll see a real live game as the Carolina Panthers take on the Arizona Cardinals Thursday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, for the league's annual Hall of Fame Game.
Preseason games kick off a week later and run through the end of August, before Week 1 of the 2026 season begins Wednesday, Sept. 9.
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It's only a preseason exhibition, one designed largely to honor the newest Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, including former Cardinals and Panthers stars Larry Fitzgerald and Luke Kuechly. But it's still the first chance to see two NFL franchises face off in a live setting.
Panthers fans, however, won't get to see franchise quarterback Bryce Young under center Thursday. Kenny Pickett has been named the starter for the Hall of Fame Game instead.
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Once brought in as a potential savior in Pittsburgh, Pickett was the 20th overall pick in 2022 out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a first-team All-American and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as a senior.
But after two rough seasons with the Steelers — including a rookie year with just 2,404 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions across 13 games — he's bounced around since, spending 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles and 2025 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
In two starts with the Raiders last season, he completed 28 of 45 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
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Now with the Panthers, Pickett was brought in to compete with rookie Haynes King for the backup job behind Young, who's coming off a resurgent 2025 campaign. Young, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, threw for a career-high 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 16 games, completing 63.6% of his passes.
Carolina has already exercised his fifth-year option, locking him in through 2027 — but this season is a pivotal one, both for Young to earn a long-term extension and for the Panthers to retain their spot atop the NFC South.
Thursday's Hall of Fame Game will offer an early look at some of Carolina's younger depth pieces, and a first glimpse at how Pickett fits as the team's QB2 heading into the season.
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