Andy Dalton is getting a new two-year contract to return to the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers announced on Tuesday that Dalton has re-signed with the team. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dalton is getting $6 million guaranteed on his two-year, $8 million deal. Schefter says the deal has a maximum value of $10 million.
The Panthers seemed to have brought back Dalton in part because of his positive relationship with quarterback Bryce Young.
“Me and Andy are super close,” Young said via the Panthers’ website. “From when I first got here, just being able to talk with him through things, him having perspective on a situation that I had never been a part of, I was always leaning on him, always having conversations and just from a day-to-day basis.
“You can’t add up the hours we spend here; we’re here every single day, and just being able to have someone that you can bounce stuff off of, ask how you see things. Whether it’s Xs and Os or it’s philosophical things or stuff outside of football or somewhere nuanced in between. He is always there, just trying to help me out. And again, having a guy like that who really does it for the right reasons and wants to help, that’s super rare. So I’m super grateful for that.”
Dalton, 37, has spent the last two seasons with the Panthers. He appeared in six games and made five starts with the Panthers last season, and passed for 989 yards, 7 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The Panthers went 1-4 in his starts.
Most importantly, the Panthers showed improvement under Young. The team went 2-1 in its last three games. Young passed for 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in that span and ran for 3 TDs. Carolina is intent on bringing back its quarterback room for 2025.
