Bryce Young's moment of truth has arrived with Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young’s moment of truth has arrived with Carolina Panthers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The future of Bryce Young with the Carolina Panthers will depend on the 2026 NFL season.

Young hasn’t yet earned a contract extension from Carolina. If he plays well in 2026, he’ll likely get one. If not, his future could be elsewhere.

For the former No. 1 overall pick, that’s a lot on the line for everyone.

For Young, it’s whether or not he can grow into a true franchise QB.

And for the Panthers, it’s a matter of knowing whether their leader is on their roster right now or if they’ll have to go searching again.

Yes, Carolina made the playoffs in 2025, but that was with a losing record, and they’ll want to see everyone take a step forward this time around.

“Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, set career highs in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote as part of a new article on Tuesday. “He looked like a player who has made real advancement in his second season under Dave Canales.”

MORE: Will they still be called the Chicago Bears if they play in Indiana?

The Panthers exercised Young’s fifth-year option, so as things stand he’s under contract through 2027. There’s still a decision to be made beyond that.

“The questions are whether the Panthers can build on the success they had last season, and most importantly whether Young can lead the offense long term,” Graziano writes. “He’s extension-eligible for the first time this offseason, but the team has made no move in that direction after picking up his fifth-year option. It feels fair for Carolina to want to see continued improvement and development — from Young and the roster in general. If Young takes another step forward and the Panthers get over .500 and continue to contend for a playoff spot, we could be looking at a Young extension in 2027.”

There aren’t too many good, or great, quarterbacks in the world. Young hasn’t quite proven himself to be in those categories yet. 

This season will be his chance to show that he belongs as a guy who his team simply can’t let go. The Panthers sure wouldn’t mind if Young turns out to be that guy.

More NFL news: