Bryce Young gaining respect with NFL 100 debut

The Carolina Panthers front office may still have reservations, but quarterback Bryce Young has earned the respect of his peers.

On Tuesday, NFL.com published an update in its NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list, and the 2023 No. 1 overall pick debuted on the annual chart at No. 98.

"In his second season under head coach Dave Canales," NFL.com wrote, "Young established career bests in passing yards, touchdowns, success percentage (44.2) and yards per game (188.2)."

His first appearance on the top 100 list comes at a convenient time for Young, who is extension-eligible heading into the fourth year of his rookie contract.

Bryce Young ranks in NFL 100 while awaiting long-term extension

Young and the Panthers are reportedly not close to an extension. with ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano recently writing, 

"It's possible this doesn't happen until next offseason," ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano recently wrote.

"They picked up his fifth-year option for 2027 at $25.904," Graziano added, leaving Carolina with little urgency to get a long-term deal done. ahead of the 2026 season

Young may have even less incentive. Even with his placement on the top 100 players of 2026 list, he's had enough lows during his career that it's still not entirely clear whether Young is a legitimate franchise quarterback.

The Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins serve as cautionary tales after incurring massive dead cap charges by releasing former starters Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa — players much more accomplished at the time of their extensions than Young — this offseason. The only thing worse than not having a quarterback is falling in love with one out of desperation.

Even if Carolina was amenable to a deal, it's hard to justify a contract worth anything more than the range of Baker Mayfield ($33.3M) or Sam Darnold ($33.5M), which would place Young in the middle of the pack among starting quarterback salaries.

Former No. 1 overall picks Matthew Stafford (2009), Joe Burrow (2020) and Trevor Lawrence (2021) are on contracts worth $55M annually, and Young could command as much with a monster 2026.

While his peers are buying in, it will likely to take a little more convincing the Panthers front office. For Young, that might not necessarily be a bad thing.