The turbulent nature of the Bryce Young experience has left many wondering what’s next for the future of the quarterback position with the Carolina Panthers. The maddening lack of consistency has fans scratching their heads for ideas on how to fix his issues and critics already closing the book on the 24 year old quarterback.
The frustration is far from unfounded, but the decision on Young’s future with the team is simple: he’s the starting quarterback going forward.
While the Panthers don’t need to
be rushing to the bargaining table in early December to get Young locked up to a long-term deal, another 5 game sample may be enough to spur some talks. Right now the most sensible expectations is to pick up Young’s 5th year option and lock their starting quarterback in for the next two years. Beyond that, well, let’s wait a month or two to revisit the conversation.
Here’s why.
Young’s teammate and coaches believe in him
While performance on the field remains the most important aspect of any quarterback’s job requirements, their ability as a leader of men remains uniquely important to the health of the team.
By any and all accounts, the whole building believes in Young. They believe in him as a person, they believe in him as a leader, and they believe in his talent. Interview after interview, the players answer any question about Young and throw their support behind him.
But that belief is not only manifesting within the locker room, but on the field. There’s been some speculation that Young does not have the trust of his Head Coach and play caller Dave Canales. Whether there was a kernel of truth there or not, it seems as though times have changed.
After the win against he Los Angeles Rams, it’s abundantly clear that Canales believes in Young. If he didn’t, it would not have been Young with the ball in his hands on the two crucial 4th downs with 3 or less yards to go. If he didn’t trust Young, there would have never have been the options to sling the football 30 and 40 yards down the field to score the pivotal touchdowns. If Canales didn’t trust Young, they probably don’t beat the best team in the NFL sporting the #1 ranked defense.
Young’s flashes and ability to win
While the lows may be low, the highs are good enough to get you single game franchise records in passing yards and enough game winning drives to put him on lists with a couple MVP quarterbacks.
The ability is there and the stats have shown that through stretches of his career. It’s just the consistency that holds everything back and has driven all the consternation around his name. The version of Young that’s won at every level of football so far has made it’s appearances, but thus far they’ve only been cameos.
Thankfully, there is still of the rest of the season to gather even more data. Young is faced with an opportunity ahead of him, to rally and put together a string of games good enough to lead the team into playoff football and perhaps even pull off another upset. He does that, and the conversation becomes much more serious.
The alternatives are not inspiring
The choice the Panthers face isn’t just a matter of desire, but availability. You, me, or anyone who actually gets paid handsomely to make such decisions can want the world, but it doesn’t matter if that’s not available for sale.
Could acquiring Mac Jones be possible? Signing Marcus Mariota or any one of the other 2026 free agents? Sure, but once again you begin the process of wading into the unknown where the only way out is shoveling significant assets towards the position hoping for marginal improvement. The free agent market is slim, and not one where you’re likely to find the long-term answer. All else fails, your rotating through the quarterback retirement home and signing 46 year old Philip Rivers. Or, hey, perhaps we can run it back for a third time with Cam Newton?
Then there is the draft. In all likelihood, the Panthers have played themselves out of the position they’d need to be in to draft a quarterback with their own draft selection, especially if they can sneak into the playoffs. Barring a complete and total collapse rest of season, the Panthers are looking at a selection in the dead center of the first round. Moving up would likely cost a future first round pick or an equivalent asset. The best prospects usually require the higher draft picks, so while a developmental day 3 quarterback is intriguing, setting an expectation for immediate returns that exceed Young’s ability and output is wishful thinking.
Given how hamstrung this team has been because of the manic overspending of assets to acquire a graveyard of quarterbacks – which in this scenario would include Young – to even consider voluntarily entering back into that market should give even the strongest stomachs some acid reflux.
Your next option would be the trade market, where the draft pick compensation might be a little more variable but would require a hefty contract extension for a passer that another team has already given up on.
While Young’s story is still being written, with a significant chapter going to be put to paper over the next month, the Panthers are sitting on a winning record aided by an 11-10 record with Young since his benching.
Final thoughts
The Panthers will likely go as far as Young leads them this season. Should that be into the second week of the playoffs, the noise surrounding a potential extension might bump up a few decibels.
Understanding that this may be a disappointing sentence for many to read, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The idea that a franchise saving option would be available, not cost prohibitive, and can actually be identified by the Panthers amongst the many landmines in the quarterback market are slim to none.
The best path forward for the franchise is to extract every ounce of value that can be squeezed from Young. Concentrate on his development, build the team up around him, and if an Alex Smith or Jared Goff sort of scenario emerges, then the opportunity can be explored.
It’s not the time to be pining for greener grass and entering desperation mode while most of the league is already toiling in mediocrity at the position, and fighting each other for scraps. Time will tell over the rest of season and even over the next two years. While the Panthers might not be ready to say they have the answer, they have an answer – which is a whole lot better than no answer.
