Jaycee Horn has added another line to a growing NFL resume.
The Carolina Panthers cornerback landed at No. 76 on the NFL Top 100 list, earning the honor for the first time. It comes after a season in which Horn made his second straight Pro Bowl and turned in one of the most productive years of his career, finishing with five interceptions and eight passes defended.
Horn’s numbers helped anchor a Panthers defense that played a major role in Carolina winning the NFC South and reaching the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign. With Horn leading the way, the Panthers finished 15th in the NFL in points per game allowed before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round of the 2026 NFL playoffs.
Horn has now totaled 10 interceptions in 53 games for Carolina, and his place among the league’s top corners is no accident. He’s become one of the most reliable playmakers on the back end for a team that has leaned on his consistency.
For Horn, though, the bigger picture is still the team’s progress. “For me, I'm mainly just thinking team. Like we had a successful year this year in going to the playoffs, and I feel like we kind of figured out how to win and figured out what winning feels like,” shared Horn.
He also pointed to how far the Panthers have come since his arrival. “When you sit back and just look at where we were, like a guy like me, my rookie year, and the years after that, to see how far we came, that this past season was definitely a win to get to the playoffs, but we can make that next level jump, and I think we will.
“And I'm so excited for next year to get back and go and be going to these games with everybody actually believing, actually believing we can get it done and seeing how next season goes.”
Carolina opens the 2026 season against the Chicago Bears, which means Horn could be in for an early test against Caleb Williams. That matchup will put one of the league’s best young cornerbacks right in the middle of the action from the start.
Horn said his focus is on keeping the standard high after back-to-back healthy seasons and back-to-back Pro Bowls. “I've been healthy the last two years, been to two Pro Bowls, and now I'm just trying to keep that going and maybe just keep racking them up year after year after year.
Maybe I can catch up, and I won't even think about the three I missed before,” Horn said. “But yeah, I know it's just still a blessing to be in this league and make money playing a kids' game.
So I'm so focused on just trying to keep my game at a high level and just seeing where it falls at the end of the day.”
In Other News...
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Bryce Young Is Giving Panthers Fans Real Hope For 2026
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The optimism is easy to understand, because Young looks like a quarterback whose best football may still be ahead of him. Still, the next step is about more than flashes, and the questions around consistency have not disappeared, especially with his limited history of big-yardage outings. If he keeps building on this stretch, Carolinas outlook gets a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]