Haynes King popped off on his debut for the Carolina Panthers. The undrafted quarterback scored the game-winning touchdown as the Panthers took down the Arizona Cardinals at the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night.
The Cardinals took a slender three-point lead inside the final two minutes of the game, leaving the Panthers to score at least a field goal to force overtime. With barely a few seconds left on the clock, King snapped the ball and powered through the Cardinals’ defense to score a rushing touchdown.
The game finished in a 33-30 victory for the Panthers. King’s first outing in a Panthers jersey concluded with 21 completions for 180 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
Kenny Pickett, who joined the Panthers in the offseason, took first snaps for the Carolina outfit. Pickett passed the baton to King after completing 8 passes for 62 yards while taking one sack. But before departing, the former Steelers, Browns and Raiders quarterback set up a running score for veteran rusher AJ Dillon.
King threw a couple of touchdown passes to second-year receivers Ja’seem Reed and Anthony Tyus III.
The Cardinals also debuted their rookie signal-caller, Carson Beck, whom they drafted in the third round. Beck had a productive day, throwing for 15 completions for 188 yards and one TD pass. Former USC QB Kedon Slovis replaced Beck for the final moments. Slovis threw a TD pass, giving the Cardinals a three-point lead with two minutes left in the final quarter.
In the final drive, King led the Panthers inside the ten-yard line. After the snap, the former Texas A&M and Georgia Tech QB cut to the right before scoring a five-yard rushing touchdown. The Panthers won the HOF Game.
King definitely increased his stock through this game, but it’s unlikely that he will dislodge Pickett from the QB2 spot. Regardless, he has given head coach Dan Morgan a welcome headache.
According to 247Sports, King was a four-star quarterback recruit. He committed to play for the Aggies, but entered the transfer portal after just seven starts in three years. He joined the GT Yellow Jackets in 2023. Over the next three years, King posted a 22-14 record with GT. In 2025, he threw for 14 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in addition to rushing for 15 TDs. He was named both ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year.
Despite finishing his college career strongly, NFL scouts did not view him as a top draft prospect. In fact, ESPN’s draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Haynes King as the 11th-best quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. Only the first eight QBs on Kiper’s list were drafted.
King attended the Panthers’ undrafted camp. In April, the NFC South franchise signed King to a rookie contract.