Dan Morgan’s careful wording on Bryce Young and potential extension talks say plenty about the Panthers’ current mindset
The Carolina Panthers exercised the 5th year option for quarterback Bryce Young, giving him two more years under contract with talks of a long-term deal still currently up in the air.
The Carolina Panthers will eventually be faced with a difficult situation regarding quarterback Bryce Young and the long-term potential of him remaining the starting quarterback of this team.
For the time being, the Panthers are comfortable kicking the can down the road on that decision. ESPN’s Dan Graziano noted on Tuesday that the team “doesn’t seem in a huge hurry” to work out an extension with the former first overall pick.
What the Panthers did do, is exercise Young’s fifth-year option for the 2027 season, which keeps him under contract for two more seasons at a fair price. While it was an expected decision to make, it only delays the inevitable conversation.
Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan further addresses the Bryce Young extension situation
“I think contract-wise, in terms of long-term contract, we’ll keep talking about that here internally,” Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said on the Rich Eisen Show. “We’ll get it done at the right time, if we’re going to do it. We’ll talk to Bryce’s representatives and keep those discussions here internally. But, obviously, we believe in Bryce. He’s gotten better every single year. He’s developing as a leader.”
Usually this conversation sounds a lot different for a first overall pick quarterback with 44 starts under his belt after his first three seasons.
In 2022, Kyler Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals ahead of his fourth season. The following year, Joe Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million extension with the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of his fourth season. And then in 2024, Trevor Lawrence signed a five-year, $275 million extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of his fourth season.
Yet, for Young and the Panthers, it’s not as clearcut of a decision. While the team has shown nothing but support and continue to praise his development in head coach Dave Canales’ system, they frankly haven’t seen enough to warrant that kind of an extension.
“Bryce knows where we stand with him,” Morgan added. “He feels the same way about us. I think, when and if a deal gets done, it’s one of those things where he knows we feel great about him and he feels great about where we’re headed. We’ll get something done at the right time.”
Panthers are smart by letting the QB market cool back down before paying Bryce Young
Looking back at those three contracts, Burrow is really the only one that deserved that kind of money. Lawrence has shown flashes and the ability to lead his team into the playoffs on multiple occasions but it still seems high for the player he is. And the decision to pay Murray that much already blew up in Arizona’s face this offseason.
The Panthers are smart to play things slow with Young, and it’s not just about how the team feels about his ability to be a franchise quarterback. Young’s development has been clearly improving after watching him lead the team this past season.
The hesitancy on Carolina’s part stems from the fact that the QB market got absolutely nuked with young quarterbacks signing record-setting deals and it needs to adjust back. Yes, the Panthers would like to see Young string together another solid, or better, season before paying him. But, it’s hard to justify that kind of money anymore for a young quarterback that isn’t viewed as an elite player at his position.
My take is that the Panthers will come to a three-year agreement with Young following the 2026 season that will pay him $35-40 million per year depending on the kind of season he has, which would place him above the likes of Baker Mayfield and Malik Willis but below players such as Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones. Time will tell what happens.