Panthers’ Bryce Young gets forward-looking contract update originally appeared on The Sporting News

Things were not looking good for the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2023 out of Alabama got his NFL career off to a nightmare start. But then in the closing stages of 2024, after returning from a benching, Young looked like he still had the potential to be a solid quarterback.

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That makes this upcoming season crucial. What exactly do the Panthers have in Young? Is he their QB of the future? That’s what they’ve got to find out.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano expects Young to perform well. He wrote Wednesday morning that he wouldn’t be surprised if Young and the Panthers agree to a contract extension after this season.

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Here’s why Graziano believes in Young:

“The Panthers believe the improvement Young showed toward the end of last season will carry over into 2025 — not just because of the way he performed on the field but also because of how comfortable he got in his role as starting quarterback. Coaches feel like Young has turned a corner in terms of his confidence and outward competitiveness. And now Carolina added wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the first round of this year’s draft to a receiver room that already included last year’s first-round pick Xavier Legette.

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“The Panthers might have a long way to go before being competitive (though maybe not, if their offseason improvements on defense have a lot of instant impact). But they think they have Young on the right track after a disappointing rookie year in 2023 and a rough start to 2024 that saw him benched for veteran Andy Dalton.”

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The Panthers traded Adam Thielen away Wednesday morning, but that’s likely a vote of confidence in their young receiving corps that is set to grow up side by side with Young.

He’s not the biggest or strongest, but he looked polished down the stretch of 2024. If he keeps showing that same composure, it’ll go a long way toward his NFL future.

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