The Carolina Panthers will roll into the 2026 season with Bryce Young as their starting quarterback, and there are no plans to talk about a new contract until the year is done, according to the latest reports.
That's probably the best way to approach the situation for Young—who may be a late bloomer for a No. 1 overall pick, but still has plenty of room to grow.
If you ask league executives where Young ranks compared to the rest of the competition, a new poll from The Athletic says that he's No. 22—stuck in the third tier of starting quarterbacks around the league.
Senior writer Mike Sando notes the following:
Young has improved each year in Tiers voting since making his debut in 2024... “He made a huge jump in 2026,” said a coach whose team faced
Carolina in the second half of the season. “His command, his confidence, his accuracy, the movement — he just seemed so much more confident as a player. It was an eye-opener for all of us to watch him perform. It reflected in their team. It didn’t reflect as much in the numbers. Young ranked 28th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per pass play last season.
While the overall numbers are definitely not pretty for Young, he did have a handful of outings where he was phenomenal—including a 448-yard performance against the Atlanta Falcons and a three-touchdown game against the Los Angeles Rams. He also kept the Panthers close to the Rams in a near-upset in the wild-card round.
Getting his feet underneath him quicker and starting the season stronger will be critical for Young to keep his momentum going.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers' Bryce Young lands in 3rd tier of NFL execs' QB rankings
