For first-round quarterbacks — especially those taken first overall — a clear sign of organizational confidence is the decision to exercise the fifth-year option on their rookie contracts.
That moment arrived this week for the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young. Young’s early NFL journey has featured flashes of promise mixed with difficult growing pains, but after guiding the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2017, general manager Dan Morgan elected to pick up the option.
“I think Bryce did a great job this year, and we’re really excited about moving forward and continuing to build chemistry with our receivers and the pieces around him,” Morgan said in the team’s announcement.
“If you watch Bryce every day, you see his work ethic, his command of the huddle, his ability to control the line of scrimmage, make the right checks and protection calls, and then carry that over into game days,” Morgan continued. “He showed much more command this year, really started to come into his own, and improved week after week by attacking each day. That’s all you can ask for from any player, especially your quarterback.”
Young turned in the best season of his career in Year 3, throwing for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 63.6 percent of his passes. He also led Carolina to an NFC South title.
The Panthers’ season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 34–31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round, capped by a game-winning drive in the final seconds.
Still, with Young firmly entrenched as the franchise quarterback and a receiving group continuing to develop around him, Carolina appears well positioned to take another step forward in 2026.