Heading into the 2026 campaign, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was at a crossroads. Either he would level up and play well enough to learn himself a new long-term contract, or he would continue to perform inconsistently and likely be on the way out after his fifth-year option in 2027.
Well, we're just four games in and it looks as though he's headed for the former.
Young reached new heights in last night's win over the Detroit Lions, pacing his Panthers to an eye-opening prime-time performance against the Detroit Lions. Heading out of Week 4, he leads the NFL with 1,268 passing yards to go along with nine passing touchdowns (a franchise record through the first four games of a season) and just two interceptions.
Now, some folks are predicting
a massive new deal is on the way for Young. Here's what former NFL cornerback and Super Bowl champion Bryant McFadden had to say about it on CBS Sports . . .
"Bryce [Young], you have earned a MASSIVE deal! He's going to break the bank."@BMac_SportsTalk after the Panthers' win over the Lions#scoreboard pic.twitter.com/R4qqVmctSw
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2026
If Young continues to ball out like this all year, it's difficult to project his ceiling. However, at the very least, we can expect he'll crack the top 10 in annual salary for quarterbacks. At the moment, the No. 10 spot is held by San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy, whose pact averages $53 million per year.
That may sound like a lot given the relatively small sample size of excellence we've seen from Young so far in 2026. But if this is who Young is now, he'll be worth every penny.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst predicts Panthers QB Bryce Young will break the bank on next contract
