Bryce Young's NFL career has been a rocky ride since he was taken by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. After an up-and-down rookie season, Young was benched early in year two after a rough start to 2024, but he bounced back when given a second opportunity and was terrific down the stretch.
He took another small step forward in 2025, and ultimately led the Panthers to the NFC South division crown and a spot in the playoffs, but Carolina still needs to see more from the former Alabama signal-caller before the yare comfortable making a sizeable investment in his future with a massive contract extension.
According to veteran Panthers reporter Scott Fowler, who has worked the Carolina beat for 32 years, Young looks ready to silence the critics once and for all.
"I’m here to tell you, based on whatever institutional knowledge I’ve acquired from covering these Carolina Panthers for 32 straight seasons, that what Young is doing in practice right now in training camp is about to lead to a really good —and possibly great — season for him. And it will lead to a massive new contract, too," Fowler wrote in The Charlotte Observer on Thursday.
Bryce Young could be on the precipice of a huge season that leads to a $200 million payday in Carolina
Fowler proposes that while a contract extension hasn't yet been discussed, Young's performance this year is going to be strong enough that the Panthers are left with no choice. He predicts somewhere in the neighborhood of four years for $200 million. Not bad for a short quarterback who everyone was ready to call one of the biggest busts in NFL history just two years ago.
Young has drawn a lot of praise during offseason workouts. His confidence has continued to grow. It helps that he'll be working under the same head coach for a third consecutive season, and the Panthers have been working to build up his supporting cast.
He and former Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan developed a quick rapport last season. Xavier Leggette is still hanging around, too. Unfortunately, former Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell, who was expected to play a sizeable role for Carolina as a rookie, suffered a season-ending injury in practice.
That's a blow to the Panthers' offense, but Young has been slicing and dicing a potentially elite Carolina secondary throughout camp so far. He looks ready to take the next step in his progression and potentially take the Panthers further into the postseason.
While they won the NFC South last season, they did it at just 8-9. Perhaps another step forward is to be expected in 2026, with Young looking to have made major strides himself. The division is certainly up for grabs, and it could be that Young and the Panthers are going to control it for the foreseeable future.
The former Heisman winner took some time to find his way in the pros, but he now looks like the franchise QB the Panthers hoped they were getting when they took him No. 1. He's another cautionary tale in not giving up on young quarterbacks too early. Fortunately for Carolina, they learned it before he caught on somewhere else.
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