While the Carolina Panthers have publicly expressed belief in Bryce Young, their private dealings have shown a team that was still not 100% sold on the 2023 No. 1 pick. The former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama has had an up-and-down first three seasons in the league. After getting benched in year two, Young rebounded and has flashed the potential that made him the top pick three years ago.
The Panthers picked up Young's fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but chose to wait and see on a long-term contract. That decision might cost them a significant amount of money.
Young is off to a brilliant start to the 2026 season. That was something foreshadowed by a Panthers beat reporter in Training Camp. Through two games, Young is second in the NFL in passing yards, tied for first in passing touchdowns, and sixth in QBR.
He was excellent in the opener against Chicago, but was let down by his defense. The Panthers allowed 59 points and lost by three scores despite Young's 361 yards and four total touchdowns. Last week against Atlanta, Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, and the Panthers routed the Falcons, 34-3.
Bryce Young's contract extension price keeps going up with hot start to 2026
Young's agent is probably telling the Panthers front office the same thing Marlo told the Co-Op in season five of The Wire: the price of the brick is going up.
Carolina could have met Young in the middle. Perhaps they could have offered him a three-year extension in the $25-35 million a year range. Young may have bitten to have some security. Or perhaps he would have bet on himself anyway. In any case, there's no indication that the Panthers were interested in offering even that mid-level type of deal.
Now, they're probably wishing they tried. Because Young's hot start to the season is driving his price up significantly. If he keeps playing at the high level we've seen the first two weeks, then he's going to be in the MVP discussion, and he's going to command a whole lot more money than they could have signed him for this summer.
The most obvious comparison would be the deal that the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to with 2021 No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence two years ago. Lawrence signed a 5-year, $275 million contract extension. That's an average annual value of $55 million per year. That's the same AAV as the Packers gave Jordan Love the same offseason, but with one less year on his deal.
Young still has to prove he can keep up this level of play. But the leap he's taken looks pretty real. If it proves to be, the Panthers will have to pony up after the season with one of the biggest contracts in the NFL to keep him around.
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