text: Seifert was fired the day after the 2001 season ended and the team set out to find its third head coach. Although his final season was the worst in team history, Seifert did help select several outstanding players in the 2001 NFL draft including linebacker Dan Morgan, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and wide receiver Steve Smith, each of whom earned Pro Bowl berths and All-Pro awards while playing for the Panthers. Smith, who played thirteen seasons with the team, was considered one of the most electrifying and explosive wide receivers in the game.
  The Panthers played their final season as a member of the NFC West in 2001, as the team joined longtime rivals Atlanta and New Orleans, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were members of the NFC Central) in the new NFC South division, as part of the realignment for the upcoming season.
  John Fox era: 2002–2010
  After Seifert was fired following the disastrous 2001 season, the Panthers hired New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox as the team's third head coach. Fox was known for defensive discipline and it would be needed to improve a team that had finished in the bottom of the defensive rankings the previous year.