Long live the King: Panthers backup QB runs for game-winning TD on final play
Haynes King, the Carolina Panthers’ undrafted rookie quarterback, provided a hall of fame ending to the team’s first exhibition of the season Thursday night.
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On an improvised scramble on the game’s final play, King ran the ball into the end zone from 5 yards out as Carolina edged Arizona, 33-30, on national television during the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition that traditionally opens the NFL preseason in the sport’s birthplace.
King was supposed to throw the ball on the play, but his receivers were covered, and an opening appeared in the middle of the field. With only one linebacker to beat, King decided to run.
“They had one guy left in the box,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said, “and Haynes is a fantastic athlete. He just finds a way to win.”
For this longtime Panthers observer, the play seemed remarkably similar to the famous Steve Beuerlein draw play of 1999. Yes, this was only an exhibition, so it will be forgotten much more quickly.
But so much was the same.
In Beuerlein’s case, the Panthers trailed 31-27 with five seconds to go against Green Bay at Lambeau Field in 1999, from the 5-yard line.
In King’s case, the Panthers trailed 30-27 with two seconds to go against Arizona, in Canton, Ohio, from the 5-yard line.
Beuerlein’s play was a designed QB draw, though, called by head coach George Seifert precisely because Beuerlein was a slow runner and so the play call was so unlikely.
King, who was the ACC’s Player of the Year in 2025 at Georgia Tech in large part to his extreme mobility, had to freelance the final-play run after what the throw he hoped would be there was not.
When he scored — and it was very close — jubilation ensued. The Panthers came sprinting onto the field, celebrating like it was a playoff game. The extra point wasn’t attempted, as the field had turned to chaos.
“A star is born!” yelled Ejiro Evero, the Panthers defensive coordinator, while he ran by King doing a postgame interview on national TV.
And on this night, King scoring the game-winner really wasn’t a fluke. He already had thrown for two TDs and ended the game with going 21-for-34 for 180 yards. His running kept numerous plays alive and also converted a third-and-14 on the game’s final drive, when King found another hole, ran for 26 yards and got out of bounds.
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“I’m very excited that I got this opportunity,” said King, who played 40 minutes of the game after Kenny Pickett started — Bryce Young and the rest of the Panther starters had the night off. “I feel like that I went out there and operated at a high level.”
King is quite literally playing for a job. Carolina may not keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, meaning King is also auditioning for a practice squad spot (certainly the Panthers would have to offer him at least that after this) and for the active roster of 31 other NFL teams.
And this was quite an audition. The Panthers and Cardinals combined for one of the most entertaining Hall of Fame games in history, with an offensive shootout that featured 34 points in the second quarter alone.
Arizona’s Carson Beck and King — two NFL rookies who once faced off in an eight-overtime college thriller won by Georgia’s Beck over Georgia Tech’s King — threw swords at each other throughout that second quarter. Beck ultimately departed the game, but King stayed in, allowing him to win this time around.
It was all fun stuff despite the lack of starpower, played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, before a crowd of 18,116. Young and his fellow starters contented themselves with running drills before the game and signing autographs for fans.
Bryce Young isn’t playing tonight, but he is making some fans happy. pic.twitter.com/qc8aT45nCo
Arizona was much the same, benching its top two quarterbacks and handing the start to third-stringer Beck.
Both teams were here in large part, getting to play a bonus exhibition game in pro football’s birthplace, because they each have a hall of famer being inducted Saturday in Canton.
For Carolina, it’s Luke Kuechly. For Arizona, it’s Larry Fitzgerald.
That means for the Panthers that a number of people in their traveling party — from owner David Tepper to long snapper J.J. Jansen to general manager Dan Morgan — will stick around for another 36-48 hours or so after the game to celebrate Kuechly.
In the meantime, the Panthers had a football game to play. While the defensive reserves struggled, allowing 425 total yards to Arizona, the offense looked promising despite playing only reserves at all positions. Besides King, Carolina got touchdowns from wide receiver Ja’Seem Reed and running backs A.J. Dillon and Anthony Tyus, as well as two field goals from Ryan Fitzgerald.
“It was awesome, man,” said Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble, one of the starters who didn’t play. “All the guys were excited for the young bucks getting the chance, and everyone went out there and made plays. It was a fun game. I’m pretty sure that’s probably the best Hall of Fame game in the last umpteen years.”
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It certainly felt like it. King’s teammates tackled him en masse after the TD.
“I couldn’t breathe,” he said.
All in all, it was a start fit for a King.
And with that, I’ll show myself out.
This story was originally published August 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
