Panthers' Bryce Young decision is huge milestone after struggles

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Panthers' major Bryce Young decision is huge milestone for QB after early struggles

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 30, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Let's give Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young plenty of credit. He's come a long way since being benched following Week 2 of the 2024 season.

On Wednesday, the Panthers announced they've exercised the fifth-year option on Young's rookie contract. The 2023 No. 1 pick is now set to make $25.904M during the 2027 season.

This move almost seemed unthinkable for the Panthers when they sent Young to the bench. Since then, he has made tremendous strides, which have saved his career.

Bryce Young has improved significantly since being benched

In his first 18 regular-season games before his benching, Young posted a below-average 70.9 passer rating and threw for 3,122 yards, 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions (via StatMuse).

After QB Andy Dalton (now with the Philadelphia Eagles) hurt his right (throwing) thumb in a car crash before Week 8 of the 2024 season, the Panthers reinserted Young into the starting lineup, in which he has remained.

Over his past 28 regular-season contests, his passer rating has improved to 87.4 (still slightly below the league average), and he has thrown for 5,375 yards, 39 TD passes and 18 interceptions.

Made it official

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— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 29, 2026

This past season, he helped lead the Panthers to an 8-9 record, and they secured the NFC South title and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The QB looked solid in a 34-31 NFC wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, completing 21-of-40 passes for 264 yards, one TD pass and one interception. He also ran for 24 yards and one TD on three carries.

"What's the next step? What's the next step for him?" Panthers head coach Dave Canales said of benching Young and his development in a story published by Fox Sports' Henry McKenna in February. "Let's stay on track with that, because over time, if that's our focus, we'll build something really cool. And that's what he's done. He just continues to stack lessons."

What's next for Bryce Young?

Stacking those lessons could help Young secure a contract extension down the road. The Panthers, though, should see if he keeps improving before giving him one.

Contract extensions for QBs, of course, are outrageous. Spotrac estimates his market value at $37.2M annually over a three-year deal, similar to the deal QB Brock Purdy (five years, $53M) signed with the San Francisco 49ers last offseason.

That said, Carolina general manager Dan Morgan remains confident in Young and his progress.

"Bryce is definitely our future. We have a ton of belief in him. I think you can see by what we're... building around him and what he does. He's just this special guy," Morgan told FanDuel's Kay Adams on March 31.

After overcoming early failures that would've crushed other QBs, the Panthers have plenty of reason to keep investing in Young. He clearly has the resilience quality a franchise cornerstone needs.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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