Even though the Carolina Panthers don’t seem inclined to give Bryce Young a long-term contract extension this offseason, head coach Dave Canales remains very optimistic about the future for the offense with the 24-year-old under center.

Speaking to The Athletic’s Joseph Person, Canales explained the organization can “sense a commitment” to Young being their long-term option at quarterback and they are working to add talent that complements his skill set:

“We’re changing things in our offense to fit Bryce, and we’re trying to bring players that will complement what Bryce does. It was something that Dan and I had talked about throughout really the last two years—Bryce’s ability to perform in critical situations and in high-stakes situations. And feeling our responsibility to build a team that puts itself in those high-stakes moments where he can perform and come through. And he’s shown that, whether it’s my ability to be aggressive, going for it on fourth down because of him or having different moments come alive late in games for him to be able to take us down on drives, find wins, whatever that looked like. There’s not a question of if, but how—how are we gonna build this forward knowing that Bryce is our quarterback?”

As for what Canales is looking for from Young after a solid 2025 season, the coach hopes to see him do more at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees from the defense prior to the snap:

“His ability to alter things based on what they’re giving you will give us another edge, which he’s continued to grow and had some great examples down the stretch where he identified things they were doing, got us to the right check and capitalized on some plays. Want to see him do that more when it’s appropriate. We don’t need to be changing things just to change it. And then for Bryce, it’s the identification of early on the cues that the defense are giving us, to be able to eliminate parts of your progression before the ball’s even snapped. That happens with time. I’ve seen quarterbacks really own and master, which allows them to play lightning fast.”

Canales added “I love” the pressure that both and Young have to contend with now that there are expectations for the organization coming off a playoff appearance last season:

“We’ve just gotta continue to filter out the things that aren’t us, that don’t fit us, so we can have this really clear sense of, this is our offense. And while we have schemes and things we believe in, we should be able to hone the things that really fit us. That’s a back-and-forth conversation Bryce and I have. And also knowing that Dan’s done an incredible job of continuing to build talent around us. It’s my job, it’s Bryce’s job, it’s our job to make that come alive and utilize their talents.”

The Panthers wasted no time after their season ended in stating they were picking up Young’s fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season.

Despite their quick move to guarantee Young’s $25.9 million salary in 2027, Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis told reporters on March 24 they “haven’t had any discussions” with Young’s camp about an extension.

“Still evaluating and just curious to see where it all goes and very excited about Bryce and all that he brings to us,” Tilis added.

Person previously reported that an extension for Young is unlikely to come before the start of the 2026 season.

Normally teams want to act quickly to get a quarterback contract done because of how expensive the position is, but Young is a unique case due to the peaks and valleys of his career through three seasons.

Canales benched Young in favor of Andy Dalton after Week 2 of the 2024 season. Young only got the starting job back six weeks later after Dalton injured his thumb in a car crash.

Young kept the job for the remainder of the season, finishing with 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions over the final 10 games.

Last season was the best of Young’s career, though it also featured its share of low moments along the way. He had an ugly outing in a 20-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football and threw for 54 yards in a 27-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.

There were plenty of highs mixed in, particularly game-winning drives against the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams in the regular season. Young nearly led the Panthers to a second win over the Rams in the playoffs.

Since the Panthers still have Young under contract for two more seasons, there’s no real risk to them in waiting to see if he can repeat the high-level moments he had in 2025 while reducing some of the mistakes that have plagued his game.

The Panthers have invested a lot in their offensive line to give Young proper protection. Tetairoa McMillan proved himself to be a No. 1 option as a rookie with 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.

There are a lot of pieces in place for Young and the Panthers to be a contender in the NFC next season. It’s up to him and Canales to maximize his skill set to get them to that level.