Last week we asked y’all what you think a contract extension for Bryce Young should look like in terms of its average annual value (AAV). Patrick Mahomes, who is 3-2 in his five Super Bowl appearances and 17-4 overall in the playoffs in his eight seasons so far, just reset the quarterback market again with a contract who’s AAV is north of $60M. Whether you are a Young hater or defender, every reasonable body in the Panthers’ fandom recognizes that Carolina won’t be talking about a contract in that neighborhood.
But what neighborhood will they be in?
Most fans seem to think that Bryce Young will earn low to mid-tier starter money with his second contract. Given that he has two years left on his current deal to prove he is worth any extension at tall, that seems a sober to mildly optimistic prediction. The odds of Young lighting it up and earning a $50M+ contract after his last three seasons seem high. The odds of him falling apart so completely that he earns no extension whatsoever, while higher, seem low as well.
For reference, The only two quarterbacks in the league currently in the $30-39M AAV range are Sam Darnold (signed before the 2025 season) and Baker Mayfield. This is in part because history hates the Carolina Panthers and, for whatever reason, seems intent on punishing their fans. The three quarterbacks in the $20-29M AAV range are Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, and Malik Willis.
Daniel Jones, at $44M AAV, is perhaps the most interesting comparison in the market. He parlayed one good year at the end of his rookie contract into a decent second contract with a different team. Injuries derailed any real attempt at analyzing that decision by the Indianapolis Colts, but it does show that there is almost always somebody willing to pay for recent performance.
Will Young rise, dominate the NFC South, and command a larger contract? Will he stay the course, deliver middling results, earn a middling, incentive heavy contract, and curse the Panthers to continued mediocrity? Time will tell, but it’s late June for now. So this is what we’re left talking about until we want to talk, again, about how much progress Xavier Legette is making as a receiver before training camp even begins. Still, it would be nice if both he and Young and took some major strides together this offseason. That could be a lot of fun to watch.
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