When it came down to deciding how they wanted to represent Kuechly, Moore and Hooker were debating between an action shot and a head shot. Ultimately, they chose the latter, and the decision ended up being simpler than they thought.

"Every woman in the city would have revolted if we'd covered his face up," Hooker joked.

Moore added: "He's the most handsome football player of all time, so we've got to paint that jawline."

Whether it's the chiseled jawline or the ridiculously realistic painting, fans have been flocking to the mural all week to snap pictures.

Kuechly got a chance to see it right before completion.

"It's, like, perfect. And it's all spray paint! That's the amazing part," Kuechly said. "I had no idea they were doing it. I showed up when it was 99 percent done. Matt wanted to show it to me. It's so well done."

The mural isn't the only tribute to Kuechly's career in Carolina, though. Moore and Hooker partnered with Charlotte photographers and videographers Uncle Jut and Matt Spivey to produce a video documenting the creation of the mural and thanking Kuechly for his dedication to the Panthers. On Sunday, the group offered an open invitation for Panther fans to come and be a part of the video thanking the linebacker.

"We set up a bunch of cameras and mics the other day and we had Panther fans come out in all their Luke gear and everybody just said thank you to Luke, told their favorite moment, shouted 'Luuuuke' for the camera," Moore explained. "Here's 30 people out in the parking lot, everybody's having a good time pouring their heart out to Luke, and then he walked up. It's hard to describe what a moment like that is like, it's almost surreal."

Kuechly said the weeks that followed his retirement announcement have "gone as well as it could have."

"People have stopped me at the grocery store when I've been running errands just to say how much they enjoyed having me in Charlotte and watching me play on the team," he said. "Other guys in the league have reached out. It's cool, because you try to do your best and hope that people appreciate it. That's what you go for."

Even though Kuechly may not be suiting up for the Panthers anymore, Cardone guaranteed No. 59 will be a permanent addition to The Brickyard – at least as long as he's in charge.

Moore said he hopes the tribute to Kuechly will do more than just show support for one of the all-time greats, but show support for the Panthers and Charlotte as a whole.