Feb. 21, 2026, 7:04 p.m. ET
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has come a long way since he was benched for backup Andy Dalton a couple of years ago.
During the 2023 season, Young struggled and was benched. When he was benched, he had no idea what his future held and almost left the team, he revealed on Ryan Clark’s podcast “The Pivot.”
“That night I drove around. I didn’t want to go back home. I just drove for like hours. I didn’t know where I was going,” Young said. “I put Atlanta in my GPS. I knew I wasn’t going to go all the way to Atlanta, but I just didn’t know what was up, what was down in that time, as I was driving to clear my mind.”
“That was a place (benching) I’d never been at before. Obviously not something you’re expecting. You never think things could turn out that way,” Young said. “In the moment, obviously, it was a lot. It was hard. It was really difficult. At that time, obviously, you’re working through the emotions in real time. You’re figuring it out.”
Rather than throw himself a pity party, Young decided to look at his benching as a challenge and a blessing.
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“I made a conscious decision to challenge myself to be as consistent as I could be during that time and to grow from it…I’m human. I was upset. I was confused. I was mad at myself…A bunch of people reached out and texted to show support. I was super grateful for it.”
The Heisman winner would bounce back from his return from the bench at the end of the 2024 season and lead the team to the playoffs in 2025, and almost upset the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.