2026 Season Opener Countdown: 69 Days Remaining

Carolina Panthers' cornerback Doug Evans (L) and Minnesota Vikings Randy Moss (R) battle for an underthrown pass during first quarter action 22 August at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, NC. AFP PHOTO Grant HALVERSON / AFP / GRANT HALVERSON (Photo credit should read GRANT HALVERSON/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown.

This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.#69.

Doug EvansEvans was originally a sixth round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 1993 NFL Draft. After coming off the bench his rookie season, Evans was a starter at cornerback for the Packers for the next four seasons, only missing one regular season game during that time. The timing of his breakout coincided with the breakout for the Packers as a whole, as he notched his best season to date in 1996, helping the Packers claim the Lombardi Trophy.

He was arguably even better the next season, earning Second Team All-Pro honors in 1997. During the 1998 offseason, the Panthers managed to pry Evans away from the Packers, signing him to a five year contract worth $22.5 million.

That contract was the second largest contract for a defensive back in NFL history at the time, trailing only Deion Sanders’ deal with the Dallas Cowboys. To put that contract into perspective, Jaycee Horn’s new contract is almost identical in terms of annual cap percentage at signing at just under nine percent. The high priced union didn’t start out great, as Evans battled injuries starting in Week 4 with a dislocated thumb against the Packers and ultimately endi