Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has had another rollercoaster of a season through the first seven games. His season started off red-hot, the best start of his young career to a season, and included weeks of “M-V-P” chants, both at home and on the road.

The last few weeks, Carolina’s offense has flamed out, especially the aggressive passing attack that led the NFL over the first couple weeks. Not all of that is Young’s fault as the protection in front of him has been abysmal at best. Yet, to be a true franchise quarterback, you have to will your way through adversity.

Multiple teams are dealing with injuries and issues up-front. Look no further than the situation Green Bay Packers franchise quarterback Jordan Love has been overcoming so far this season. The situation Young is currently in is going to be assessed to see how he overcomes adversity, not just glossed over as “Oh, well it’s a tough spot for anyone to succeed in that situation.’

What the next few games look like from Young will be pivotal in deciding whether or not he receives a second contract, and how big that extension will actually be. However, Young’s hot start did at least finally get the ball rolling in a really positive way.

Panthers have progressed extension talks with Bryce Young, and the rumored number will surprise you

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (take that with a grain of salt), the Panthers have progressed extension talks with their former first overall pick, and the per year number Florio reported is eye-opening.

“We’ve recently caught wind of chatter that the Panthers are ‘far down the road’ toward signing him to a second deal in excess of $50 million per year,” Florio wrote on Wednesday.

An extension of $50+ million per year would put Young among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. Currently, only 13 quarterbacks are making $50+ million per year and a deal of that magnitude would send a bold statement from the Panthers that they are fully committed to Young as their franchise quarterback.

I always go back to the former first overall pick season contracts we saw over the last few years with Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, and Trevor Lawrence. Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million ($46.1 million) contract extension that ranked second in the NFL in per year value at the time. Burrow’s five-year, $275 million ($55 million per year) extension was the highest per year value at the time. Lawrence’s five-year, $275 million ($55 million per year) extension tied him for first with Burrow at the time of signing.

The difference is, all three of those quarterbacks had a lot more success than Young did over their collective first three seasons. Young is now in Year 4 and still having to prove himself. The reason why is because of the buyers remorse teams had paying players like Murray so much money too soon. The same situation happened with the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovialoa.

The safe play in my mind was trying to get Young on a $30-45 million per year deal and avoid the $50+ million price tag. It’s a big difference and fits the tier of quarterback Young is (in line with Baker Mayfield Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, and Sam Darnold). That hopes of that plan changed when Baker Mayfield jumped into the $55 million tier before the season and Young kicked off the 2026 season at an MVP-caliber level.

Panthers might have messed up waiting around, and it’s great for Bryce Young

If the conversation around Young’s extension is really reaching the level where we’re looking at a $50+ million deal, great for Young. But, that’s bad for the Panthers. It goes to show how difficult this decision is. If the Panthers paid him before the season, they probably could have saved $10 million per year on his deal. However, what if they handed him that contract and he dropped off in 2026, then they’re screwed for years.

This is why general managers get the big bucks. These are tough conversations and decisions to have. Overall, the ball is still in Young’s court and this is still a pivotal season for him. But, the ball is quickly rolling in the right direction for him to cash in big.

How he continues to play over the final 10 weeks of the season will determine whether or not he deserves that $50+ million price tag. And it starts by getting back to that MVP-caliber play, with or without improved support around him.