text: 2000 season In the 2000 NFL draft, safety Deon Grant and linebacker Lester Towns were among the players selected by the Panthers. In Seifert's second season with the team, the Panthers finished 7–9, one game worse than the previous season, and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. They finished third in the NFC West, behind the playoff-bound St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints. Veteran quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who had been the team's starting quarterback since 1998, was released following the season. Tragedy struck the team when former running back Fred Lane, who had been a member of the Panthers for three seasons, was shot and killed by his wife during a domestic dispute in 2000 after signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
  2001 season: 15 straight losses
  Seifert's third and final season with the Panthers was a disaster. After the team released Beuerlein in the off-season Siefert handed the quarterback reins to Jeff Lewis, who was released after several poor performances during the preseason. That left the Panthers with rookie Chris Weinke under center. Weinke had won the Heisman Trophy and led Florida State to a national championship in college but was unable to duplicate that level of success in the NFL. The Panthers won their opening game against the Minnesota Vikings 24–13, but then lost 15 straight games. This set a record for single-season losing streaks which held until the Detroit Lions' 0–16 campaign of 2008. The Panthers also finished last in their division for the first time in franchise history.