A new season begins later this week for the Carolina Panthers, who open the 2026 regular season against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Expectations are significantly higher for this Panthers squad after what the team achieved in 2025 under coach Dave Canales and the roster general manager Dan Morgan constructed. But a big question remains as the season gets started: what exactly does success look like for Carolina in 2026?

The Panthers seemingly took a major step in 2025. They reclaimed the NFC South title after backdooring their way into the playoffs, clinching a spot thanks to another team’s result rather than on their own terms. Carolina still gave the Los Angeles Rams a competitive game in the NFC Wild Card round, a showing opened a lot of eyes around the league that the Panthers are actually building something here.

Still, Carolina finished the 2025 regular season 8-9. That marked the eight consecutive year the Panthers have finished with a sub-.500 record. That tension between progress and lingering mediocrity is exactly what makes team owner David Tepper’s rare media appearance ahead of Wednesday’s practice so significant going into this season.

“Last year’s team, I said that we’re not a playoff team, but we could get into the playoffs. I think we’re more of a playoff team this year than we were last year coming into it,” Tepper said. “I think Dan’s done a good job and the guys have done a good job building the depth of the team, I think the pieces are there and we have everything we need.”

David Tepper sees the foundation being set for the Panthers and now’s the time to accomplish something

Tepper spoke at length about the future of the organization and where this franchise is headed. The big takeaway: he saw the bare bones being built and now sees the foundation set. This was a massive offseason for Carolina. After the success they saw last year, the front office identified the missing pieces. Tepper gave full command to Morgan and his right-hand man, cap guru Brant Tillis, to go out and get what Canales and his coaching staff needed.

“Nothing is easy in the NFL. Seriously, it’s not,” Tepper explained. “I believe that we have everything here to win this year. And I believe we’ll have everything to win in the future too. I do think we’re on the right track, and I do think we do have very good people here with Dan and Dave and Brandt. So I think we have a good team, good management inside the building. I trust them. I don’t feel the need to be around as much here because I trust them so much. And like I said, I’m optimistic. I’m realistic, though, OK. But I’m optimistic.”

This offseason, the Panthers brought in top-flight free agents like Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd along with beefing up the offensive front with offensive tackles such as veteran Rasheed Walker and Monroe Freeling, a rookie who has the chance to be a high-level tackle for years to come. The offensive line showed significant depth concerns last season, and Morgan rectified that issue while also retooling issues on defense. Every hole the Panthers needed to address, they addressed.

Now the question becomes: what can this team actually look like with all the pieces seemingly in place? How far can Carolina take this thing with a retooled roster? Tepper’s definition of success for his franchise will be tested over the next 18 weeks.

“I’d like to have two winning seasons for the first time in this franchise’s history,” Tepper said. “So I’d like to win this year, and I’d like to win next year. I’d like to string wins. You know, in other sports that we own, we string wins and winning seasons. This one, we haven’t. That’s what I’d like to see is us string winning seasons. That’s success. You know, you build it, it’s coming, and now it’s here.”

The Bryce Young question is still a big one that has to be answered

The other critical piece of the equation is the quarterback position. This is a question that absolutely has to be answered with Bryce Young in 2026. The former first overall pick, for whom the Panthers paid a king’s ransom in that trade with the Chicago Bears, now enters into a pivotal fourth season after showing just flashes of what he can do.

“He has performed at a high level against high-level competition,” Tepper said of Young. “It seems to bring out the best in him. Bryce is the sort of guy that doesn’t feel the pressure, right? You saw it against the Rams twice. When you have that kind of performance, you know it’s there. Can he bring it every single game? I believe he can. You know it’s there. So like I said, I’m a believer, and hopefully it comes true.”

Tepper elected to hold off on discussing any extension with Young, leaving those conversations up to Morgan alone. Morgan has maintained the belief that he wants to see Young prove what kind of deal he should get, if he even gets one, with the Panthers this season. The front office feels it has added all the missing pieces around him. The grace period is over. The team is constructed around Young, and now the question is simple: how far can he actually lead this group?

At the same time, Young is watching the rising quarterback market around him. Baker Mayfield just signed a deal worth more than $50 million per year. Fellow 2023 first-round pick CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans are still trying to get a deal done before the start of the regular season. Young is fully aware of what’s happening around him with the quarterback market but still trying to keep the main thing the main thing.

“For me, it’s just about football,” Young told reporters. “All of that stuff happens outside of my control. That stuff is for other people upstairs and agents. It’s season time. We’re going into Week 1 and that’s all that matters. We have all the inspiration (we need) and there’s a great challenge ahead of us. That’s all I have the capacity to be focused on.”

All of this creates a defining season ahead for the Panthers organization, one way or another. Can Carolina finally post a winning record for the first time since 2017? Will Young prove himself to be the rightful franchise quarterback, a title the Panthers honestly haven’t been able to assign since Cam Newton? A lot hangs on this season, and we’ll see how it goes starting on Sunday.