Though the Carolina Panthers happily and willingly forked over a $37.96 million contract to rookie quarterback Bryce Young, that hasn't forced the team's head coach Frank Reich to change his expectations for the No. 1 overall pick. 

Yes, the Panthers' roster received a much-needed facelift. And selecting Young with the top draft pick, earned by the Panthers trading star receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears, indicates a changing of the guard and a shifting of a process for the franchise that has lived through NFL purgatory since the Cam Newton days came to an unceremonious close. But Reich doesn't see having Young on the roster as a win-now move. 

Reich recently told Sports Illustrated that the Young experiment, all 5-foot-10, 204 pounds of him, will be a multi-year process where incremental improvement will be sought out — a steep change in tone from Matt Rhule, who constantly chased instant success over sustained longevity. 

“Patrick Mahomes sat on the bench his rookie year. Peyton Manning was 3–13. Troy Aikman was 1–15,” Reich stated of developing around the star rookie. “The list goes on and on. So this is a two-to-four-year project. It’s a two-to-four-year project with every sense of urgency to win every game and make the most of every day. Those things can both be true. Hey, they don’t really care about winning now. … No, that’s garbage. We’re fighting and scratching to win every game, to win our division, to win playoff games. But it’s a two-to-four-year project.”

Reich, a former quarterback himself, knows how hard it is for young signal-callers to succeed in Year 1.

What may also create some friction for Reich is that he has typically favored bigger quarterbacks. Young is one of the smallest quarterbacks Reich will have worked with in his coaching career. 

Before the 2023 NFL Draft, a stat floated around from NBC Sports’ Peter King. In Reich's 17 years as a quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator, or head coach, all but six games were started by quarterbacks 6-foot-4 and taller. Young is not that, and not close. But that didn't deter Reich from signing off drafting the Alabama star. The Panthers' head coach believes in him.

Still, it may take some time before Reich understands where Young can be successful on the football field and how to place him in those positions consistently. 

In essence, what Reich is telling the NFL world to do is to pump the breaks on coronating Young as the next NFL great. And it is a smart thing to do. Great expectations often begets great disappointment. Expectations are the mythical ethos that only a rare few athletes live up to. Young may eventually live up to the franchise-savior billing many have placed on his slight shoulders. But it may take some time. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

Even though Young has adapted well to the NFL, according to minicamp and OTA reports, the living and breathing NFL season is a different animal. 

Young winning over the locker room was merely step one. Producing, and doing so consistently, is a multi-step endeavor that will take seasons. And with a quarterback as skilled as Young, his ascension will always be worth the wait. 

Training camp preview: The year of Bryce Young starts now

All eyes are on the Carolina Panthers’ $37.96 million man. Rightfully so.

Feature image via Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports.