Even if Bryce Young leads the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs, the organization might not be ready to make a long-term commitment to their quarterback.
The Panthers have a decision to make on Young’s fifth-year option this season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that the expectation is that the Panthers will pick up that option, but for now, they are not considering a long-term deal.
“The Panthers will pick up Bryce Young’s fifth-year option. It’s about $26.5 million, which is a serious bargain for quarterbacks in this market. That would put him under contract until 2027, but they would most likely want to see more. Their brain trust will get together this offseason to look at the full body of work over the last two years and feel out what he can do well. … They’re open to him long-term, but I don’t expect a five-year deal to come in the next couple months, either.”
Dissecting Bryce Young’s future in Carolina
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 3, 2026
Big offseasons for Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers
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The question marks around Young are certainly legitimate. He has thrown for 2,745 yards this season, but only has three games in which he put up at least 200 yards passing. The Panthers saw fit to bench him in 2024, and there were reports that they considered it again in 2025 before he ultimately steadied the ship.
Young is a former No. 1 overall pick who has shown the capability to win games in the NFL. However, he has not really shown the elite ability that the Panthers hoped for. That will make it very difficult to determine if he really is a long-term answer, but Carolina can kick that decision down the road for at least another year for now.
