Bryce Young’s expected trade value proves the Carolina Panthers face a sobering reality if he fails to turn the corner
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is entering into a pivotal fourth season with a potential contract extension hanging in the balance. But, the worst case scenario looks even more devastating for the team.
The Carolina Panthers have constructed a roster ready to win after claiming the NFC South title last season and the only thing that can make-or-break the upcoming 2026 season is the play of quarterback Bryce Young, which is the ideal situation for both parties.
Young is entering into a pivotal fourth season with the Panthers with a potential contract extension hanging in the balance depending on his performance this upcoming season. Both sides would ideally like to see Young make that jump and prove he’s a top-half quarterback in the NFL capable of leading this team to success.
If he can prove he’s capable of that, Young will earn a second contract with the Panthers that could be worth upwards of $35 million per year. If not, the Panthers need to seriously consider another option at the quarterback position to lead this team. And if the latter happens, that worst case scenario will look even more devastating for the Panthers.
ESPN trade tier brings up a tough conversation surrounding Panthers QB Bryce Young
On Thursday, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took the time to break down the trade tiers with the top players on all 32 rosters. The main idea was exploring which players across the NFL could land a first-round pick (or more) in a trade.
For the Panthers, defensive tackle Derrick Brown and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan were the two players mentioned that could net a first-round pick and more in a trade (which would never happen for either player). Cornerback Jaycee Horn and rookie left tackle Monroe Freeling were the two players in tier 2 that could net one first-round pick (which again is high unlikely that either player would actually be moved).
Where the conversation gets interesting is tier 3, which includes Young as one of the players that would not net a first-round pick in a trade. That’s a concerning thing for the Panthers looking at the worst case scenario involving Young.
If Young fails to turn the corner in 2026 and the Panthers lean toward moving on, Barnwell’s exercise shows how the Panthers might not get much in return if they end up deciding to ship Young out of town.
Getting a high return for a QB isn’t always going to work out, outside of a few exceptions
If things do end up blowing up for Young in Carolina and the Panthers decide to trade the former first overall pick, the return isn’t going to be pretty based on previous deals.
The only quarterbacks traded since 2020 to net a first-round pick have been Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson. It doesn’t happen very often and all five of those players proved they can be top quarterbacks and lead their teams deep into the postseason prior to being traded.
Young doesn’t fit that bill and it means the Panthers shouldn’t expect to get a high draft pick from another team if they eventually decision the best decision is to trade him away.
The best likelihood for the Panthers in that scenario would be to do a trade similar to what the Los Angeles Rams did by packaging their former first overall quarterback (Jared Goff) along with multiple first-round picks to acquire a player who is a top quarterback.
Granted, we are still a long way away from something like that actually happening. But this entire exercise does prove that the Panthers will be paying a high price if Young doesn’t turn the corner this upcoming season. As if he needed anymore pressure.