CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 25: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers looks on before a football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium on October 25, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
One of the biggest questions facing the Carolina Panthers this season and into the offseason is what the team will do with quarterback Bryce Young. Young is on his fifth-year option for the 2027 season, but both the team and Young would like to get more clarity on his long-term status before that happens.
Right now, it looks like Carolina and Young are working towards an extension, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
"As to Young, we've recently caught wind of chatter that the Panthers are "far down the road" toward signing him to a second deal in excess of $50 million per year," wrote Florio.
Carolina has Young signed for $25.9M next year on his fifth-year option.
Getty Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers
Young is one of the more highly debated quarterbacks due to his draft status and potential contract. After going first overall in the 2023 NFL draft, Young got off to a slow start to his NFL career.
He completed 59.8% of his passes as a rookie. He had a 2.1% touchdown rate and a 1.9% interception rate, leading to 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Panthers went 2-14 in his rookie season.
Young started to progress in his second season, but there were still plenty of questions after the Panthers went 4-8 when he started and he was benched early in the season.
That season, he completed 60.9% of his passes and had 15 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, which was a 3.9% touchdown rate but an increase in interception rate from 1.9% to 2.3%.
However, he really started to get things in the right direction by his third NFL season. Young completed 63.6% of his passes and had 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. His touchdown rate increased from 3.9% to 4.8%, while his interception rate remained the same at 2.3%. The Panthers went 8-8 when he started, and they made the playoffs.
Now, Young has 13 touchdowns to five interceptions. However, the Panthers are only 3-4, so the wins are not coming.
It is starting to become clear that the Panthers have a good quarterback. However, if you are going to pay him $50M per year and commit serious assets to him, you need better than just good. That is where the Panthers are in a tough spot.
A quarterback making $50 million per year sounds like a lot until you realize that there are 14 quarterbacks who are making that much on an average annual salary. Daniel Jones signed an extension for $44M per year last season, so the deal is likely going to top that.
Jalen Hurts is making $51M per year, and Justin Herbert is at $52.5M per year. Young is going to bridge the gap between Jones and Hurts, and might end up in the same tier as Hurts and Herbert due to the increasing salary cap and his extension coming last.
If the Panthers do not give Young $50M, there is a team out there that will. So, this will be an interesting decision.
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