Late last week, the Carolina Panthers and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young agreed to terms on a rookie contract. Monday, financial details came out.
According to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, Young’s fully guaranteed $37.9 million contract is fully guaranteed includes a $24.6 million signing bonus. Additionally, the year-by-year salary breakdown includes three fully guaranteed roster bonuses — $1.56 million in 2024, $3.17 million in 2025 and $4.78 million in 2026.
Young’s deal, as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is for four years. As with all rookie contracts, there’s a fifth-year option on the end of it.
At Alabama, Young put together an impressive three-year career that included a Heisman Trophy in 2021. That year, he threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns to help the Crimson Tide to a national championship appearance. In 2022, his numbers dropped a bit as he dealt with an injury, totaling 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Still, Young emerged as the top quarterback on the board in April’s NFL Draft, and the Panthers selected him after trading up to No. 1 with the Chicago Bears.
Even before agreeing to his contract, Young started to impress teammates in Carolina. One of his new teammates, former Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders, had a unique way of describing him.
“He’s cocky in a humble way.” Sanders said on the Mac and Bone podcast. “The humblest way. He knows who he is. I think we’re in good hands.”
Young will be counted on to turn around a franchise that actually performed decently well a year ago after the firing of Matt Rhule, who went on to take the Nebraska head coaching job this offseason.
His ability to process the game quickly and understand everything he’s looking at is one of his key qualities.
“I don’t know what Nick Saban is doing over there with those Alabama guys, but (he’s) creating some very sharp guys,” Sanders said on the Rich Eisen Show. “I’m looking at him and he’s very sharp with everything. He’s there early, he leaves late.
“When we’re there on the field and I’m talking to (Young), I tell him to just take it slow with the offense. I very well see that during plays and going against the defense. His decision-making is smart, he doesn’t force anything and his pocket presence is what really stands out to me. And the height doesn’t matter at all. … I like him, and we have a bright future ahead of us.”
More must-reads: