Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions players: who played for both

Who played for both the Panthers and Lions?

69 players were on both the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions rosters between 1960 and 2026, including Josh McCown, Pete Metzelaars, Rodney Peete and Frank Reich. 34 of them were with the Panthers first and 33 with the Lions first; 2 joined both in the same season.

Did you know?

  • Derrick Moore is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Lions first, then the Panthers from 1995.
  • D.J. Wonnum is the most recent: Panthers first, then the Lions from 2026.
  • Sam Martin spent the most seasons across the two: 2 with the Panthers and 7 with the Lions.
  • Most common positions on this list: WR (8), DB (8), QB (6), OL (6).

How many can you name?

Name players who were on both the Panthers and the Lions. The surname is enough. 0 / 69

All 69 players, most seasons first

Seasons on each roster (1960–2026). A gap of a season or more starts a new spell.
PlayerPosPanthersLions
Josh McCownQB2008–20092006
Pete MetzelaarsTE19951996–1997
Rodney PeeteQB2002–20041989–1993
Frank ReichQB19951997–1998
Sam MartinP2025–20262013–2019
Andre RobertsWR20222016
Eric DavisCB1996–20002002
Ameer AbdullahRB20212015–2018
Bruce IrvinLB20192023
Mark RodenhauserOL1995–19971993–1994
Teddy BridgewaterQB20202023–2024
Tim McKyerDB19951993
A'Shawn RobinsonDL2024–20252016–2019
Doug EvansCB1998–20012003
Drayton FlorenceCB20132012
Paul ButcherLB19951986–1988
Walter RasbyTE1995–19971998–2000
Colin ColeDT2013–20142003
Julian StanfordLB2020–20222013–2014
Michael SchofieldOL20202023
Tahir WhiteheadLB20202012–2017
Daryl WorleyDB2016–20172021
Jerome FeltonFB20112008–2010
Kyle AllenQB2018–20192025
Travis TaylorWR20072008
Charles HarrisDL20242021–2023
Dean MarloweDB2015–20162021
Donte' CurryOLB2007–20082002–2007
Marquand ManuelSS20072009
Mike JacksonDB2024–20262019
Rashaan MelvinDB20212019
Vinny CiurciuMLB2003–20062009–2010
Willie GreenWR1995–19961991–1993
C.J. AndersonRB20182019
Chris HarrisSS2007–20092011
D.J. WonnumLB2024–20252026
DJ CharkWR20232022
Geoff SchwartzT2009–20102016
Jovan HayeDT20052011
Landon JohnsonOLB2008–20092010
Bruce HectorDL20202021
Caleb BenenochOL20192019
Derrick MooreRB19951993–1994
Idrees BashirFS20052007
Josh ThomasCB2011–20132014
Michael GainesTE2004–20062008
Terry FairCB20021998–2001
Brandon ZylstraWR2019–20212022
Cade MaysOL2022–20252026
Gerald AlexanderSS20102007–2008
Iheanyi UwaezuokeWR20001999
Josh TavesDE20021995
Keary ColbertWR2004–20072008
Ogemdi NwagbuoDT20112012
Corey RobinsonOL20182015–2017
Don SasaDL1997–19981998
Giovanni RicciTE2021–20232025
James MitchellTE20252022–2024
Jammie RobinsonDB2023–20242025
Stantley Thomas-OliverDB2020–20222024
A.J. ParkerDB20232021–2022
Cleveland PinkneyDT20042006
Frank HerronDL20212019–2020
Hendon HookerQB20252023–2024
Larry RyansWR19951994
Ryan SantosoP20212021
Doug HogueOLB20122011–2012
Larry WebsterDE20162014
Paul JanusOL19981999

From the nflverse roster files (CC BY 4.0), refreshed 2026-10-06. A season counts when the player was on the roster: from 2002 on, at least one regular-season or playoff week as active, injured reserve or inactive (practice squad alone does not count); 1960–2001 use the season rosters.

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More “played for both” lists

Carolina Panthers and…

Commanders 78Bills 77Giants 77Falcons 7649ers 75Saints 74Bears 73Cardinals 70Colts 70Dolphins 69

Detroit Lions and…

Colts 117Cardinals 116Browns 111Saints 111Falcons 110Dolphins 109Rams 108Seahawks 107Commanders 10649ers 105

All team pairs

Questions

How many players have played for both the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions?

69 in the nflverse roster files from 1960 to 2026, including Josh McCown, Pete Metzelaars, Rodney Peete and Frank Reich. Players whose time with one of the teams was practice squad only, or before 1960, are not counted.

Who was the first player on this list to play for both?

Derrick Moore: Detroit Lions first, then the Carolina Panthers from 1995.

Who has played for both recently?

Sam Martin, A'Shawn Robinson, Kyle Allen, Mike Jackson, D.J. Wonnum and Cade Mays and 4 more, with a season on one of the two rosters in 2025 or 2026.

Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?

Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise, the way the league keeps team history. Neither of these teams has moved since 1960.

Rosters from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Independent and not affiliated with the NFL or any team. Credits