Undrafted rookie quarterback Haynes King emerged as one of the stars of Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game between the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals, and he scored a walkoff rushing touchdown that propelled the Panthers to a 33-30 win.
Following the victory, King spoke about making the most of his opportunity to play in Thursday’s contest.
Haynes King: Starring in Hall of Fame Game was “a dream come true”
“It was a dream come true,” King explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Growing up, you hear about all these first-ballot Hall of Famers, and to see some of them walking in front of you before the game is pretty amazing. And to be able to showcase your talent in front of them is a dream come true.”
In total, King completed 21 of 34 pass attempts for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He took no sacks, committed no turnovers and also rushed for 39 yards on the evening.
“I’m very excited that I got this opportunity, and I feel like I went out there and operated at a high level,” King said. “I allowed everybody around me to play better as well.”
Haynes King puts Panthers QB on notice?
Cardinals beat writer Doug Haller of The Athletic was sure to note that “no one takes [preseason games] seriously, not even the teams playing” regarding the stellar outing produced by Arizona rookie quarterback Carson Beck on Thursday night. For that same article, Panthers beat writer Joseph Person suggested that Carolina backup Kenny Pickett may have something to worry about following Thursday’s game.
“The undrafted rookie stayed in the pocket for the most part, worked through his progressions and moved the chains,” Person wrote. “King led scoring drives on five of his six possessions and looked the part of a competent No. 3 quarterback. With the rest of the NFL watching Thursday’s stand-alone game, it might be hard for (Panthers president of football operations and general manager) Dan Morgan to try to stash King on the practice squad.”
Pickett signed a one-year contract to join the Panthers back in March, and he’s now widely seen as a journeyman who likely doesn’t have much of a future in the league as a QB1. Thus, it may be fair to wonder if Pickett no longer has the Carolina QB2 job locked down.
The Panthers’ next preseason game will be a matchup at the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 15.