Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) after a touchdown run against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Does Panthers QB Bryce Young have a shot at MVP this season?

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Time to jump into the DeLorean and set the year to 2014. The Carolina Panthers had won the NFC South for the second straight year, albeit with a 7-8-1 record. Quarterback Cam Newton played and started 14 games, throwing for 18 scores while being picked off 12 times. He ran for 539 yards and five touchdowns. Ron Rivera’s team overcame a midseason six-game losing streak, won a division title, and knocked off the Cardinals in the wild-card round before losing to the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks one week later.

Who could have foreseen what Newton and the Panthers would do in 2015? The first overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft led Carolina to a 14-0 start, and a 15-1 record. He finished with 3,837 yards through the air and 35 TD passes. He also ran for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rivera’s team scored a league-high 500 points, Newton was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, and the Panthers would reach Super Bowl 50.

What are the chances that current Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young could build on the past season’s strong second-half finish and find himself in the running for NFL MVP honors? According to those in Sin City, pretty long. If you are looking for Young near the top of the odds list (via Kevin Rogers of Vegas Insider) for the award, don't bother. The somewhat-good news is that you have to go back to 2012 to find the last time a quarterback didn’t win the award. That would be Minnesota Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson.

Young did finish with a flourish in 2024, throwing 15 touchdown passes and running for five TDs in the team’s final 10 games. The Panthers are seeking their first NFC South title since that aforementioned Super Bowl 50 season in 2015. Unseating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers figures to be a tall order for Dave Canales’s club, but certainly not impossible. Young becoming only the second NFL MVP in franchise history is a different story altogether.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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