NFL: Panthers to pick up fifth-year option on QB Bryce Young

The Carolina Panthers will exercise the fifth-year option on quarterback Bryce Young and will also consider whether a long-term contract extension is appropriate, according to general manager Dan Morgan.

The move will keep the former number one overall pick under contract through the 2027 season, with a guaranteed value of $26.5m.

“Bryce has shown flashes of greatness this year against high level competition,” Morgan said at his season-ending press conference.

“As a team, we weren’t as consistent as we want to be on a game-to-game basis, but that’s part of what happens with a young team.”

Morgan praised Young’s development during his second NFL season, highlighting improvements in leadership and command.

“Bryce did a great job this year, and I’m really excited about moving forward and still developing chemistry with our receivers and the pieces around him,” he said.

The Panthers general manager also pointed to Young’s work ethic and growth within the offence.

“I just felt he had a lot more command out there this year, and really coming into his own and getting better every week, just attacking every day,” Morgan added. “That’s really all you can ask for from any player.”

Inconsistency remained a theme for Young’s season. He produced a career-best 147.1 passer rating in a win over the Los Angeles Rams, one week after posting a career-low Total QBR of 14.2 in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

He also followed a franchise-record 448-yard passing performance against Atlanta with a 124-yard outing in defeat to the New Orleans Saints.

Young finished the regular season with a QBR of 47.7, ranking 22nd among qualified quarterbacks. Carolina failed to win back-to-back games after mid-October and ended the campaign with three straight losses, including a 34-31 defeat to the Rams in the NFC wild card round.

Despite the loss, Young recorded a QBR of 74.3 in his first playoff appearance, throwing and running for a touchdown.

Morgan said the Panthers would like to add another young quarterback to develop behind Young and veteran backup Andy Dalton, but did not rule out discussions over a longer-term deal.

“We are still talking through the roster and where things look from a big picture view,” he said. “That is still stuff that is up in the air that we are still working through at this point.”

Young also earned praise for playing through a right ankle sprain sustained in Week 7 against the New York Jets, which forced him to miss one start.

“He’s a tough dude; he’s a really tough dude,” Morgan said.

The 23-year-old tied for the NFL lead with six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime this season, taking his career total to 12. However, his overall record stands at 14-30, despite the Panthers finishing 8-10 in 2025.