First off, to be clear: This post is in no way trying to compare Graham Gano with Steve Smith. And because of how scoring is set up in the NFL, kickers naturally rack up more points than position players.

With that said, Gano will likely jump past Smith on the Panthers' list of all-time career scorers Sunday against the Vikings. It's a nugget that's worth noting for a team that initially struggled to find a kicker after John Kasay.

From 2001-13, Smith scored 454 points, the 2nd-most in franchise history. Gano currently sits third at 452.

"Steve was obviously a fantastic player, still is," Gano says about the prospect of passing Smith. "It's pretty neat, but I'm just trying to kick here for as long as I can and just enjoy playing here."

To catch the top name on the Panthers' scoring list, Gano will have to keep kicking here a looooong time.

During his 16 seasons, Kasay booted through 1,482 points, the 9th-most in NFL history. Gano, who landed in Carolina midway through the 2012 season, currently has just 30 percent of Kasay's total.

A guy can dream, though.

"I'd love to (break Kasay's record). I think that's something very honorable thing to shoot for," Gano says.

"John was obviously a fantastic kicker here. If I can someday be mentioned in the same sentence as his name, I think that'd be great."

And you'd be 37.

"Yeah, I'd be up there," says the 29-year-old Gano with a laugh.

In his 56 appearances with the Panthers, Gano's averaged 8 points a game. If he kept up that pace, he'd have to play 129 more games to rack up the 1,031 points needed to pass Kasay. That would take us into the 2024 season.

Again, a guy can dream.

"With Cam and how the offense scores points," Gano says, "you never know."