Carolina’s offense is building around a new snap connection, and Luke Fortner knows exactly where the work starts.
The Panthers brought in the veteran center this offseason, giving Bryce Young a fresh voice and a new set of hands in front of him. Fortner, 28, recently talked about what goes into getting on the same page with a quarterback, and he made clear that it’s a process built on repetition, conversation and a few in-game surprises.
“There are lots of things that come in, and you say, 'Hey, I do things this way, and I've heard it done this way, but I prefer this.' And you definitely talk through a lot of stuff," Fortner said, via Panthers.com.
"But there are so many things that, you get on the field and something happens, and then you're like, oh wait a minute, I didn't realize you're going to do it like that. So there's a lot of time on task, but there's also things you come in and you know may be different. somewhere along that spectrum."
Fortner’s background should help with the transition. He spent his first three seasons snapping to Trevor Lawrence, who is 6-6, and last season worked with Tyler Shough, who is 6-5. That makes Young a much different target, but Fortner brushed off the height gap as a non-issue.
"There's really not much," Fortner said. "The only thing is Trevor might be able to catch a snap that's a little higher than Bryce, but put it where it's supposed to be, you don't have to. I mean, there's no world in which it's not my fault on that one."
Young is coming off a 2025 season in which he threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding 216 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also helped lead the Panthers to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
Now entering his next season, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft has 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in a Carolina uniform. He is 14-30-0 as a starter.
Young is scheduled to make $12.1 million next season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, while his fifth-year option carries a guaranteed $25.9 million price tag.
For now, the Panthers are not expected to lock him up with an extension this offseason. Most NFL insiders believe Young needs another strong season to prove he’s ready for that kind of commitment.
In Other News...
Panthers May Finally Have A Real Tight End Answer For Bryce Young
The Panthers have spent years trying to find a tight end who can become a real part of Bryce Youngs passing game, and the positions recent production tells the story. No Carolina tight end has reached 500 receiving yards since 2019, which is why the search for help keeps circling back to the same familiar problem: the offense needs a reliable middle-of-the-field option, and it needs one soon.
Several names have surfaced as possible answers, from trade candidates to free-agent possibilities, and the appeal is easy to understand. Michael Mayer could make sense as a young target if the Raiders ever decide to move him, Darren Waller has shown he can still create problems for defenses, and Jonnu Smith has the kind of practical fit that would let Carolina plug a need without overcomplicating the fix. The Panthers may not land the perfect solution, but the fact that they are at least shopping the market again says plenty about how urgent this spot remains. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Linked To A Tight End Upgrade Bryce Young Needs
The Panthers have spent the offseason trying to give Bryce Young a better supporting cast, adding help on defense with Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd while also bringing in rookie pieces like Monroe Freeling and Chris Brazzell II. Tight end still stands out as a spot where Carolina could use more production, and that has helped fuel outside chatter about whether the front office might keep looking for another proven pass-catching option.
One ESPN idea has Carolina as a team to watch if Detroit ever decides to move a tight end who fits that description, with the Lions facing some real financial decisions ahead. Any deal would not be simple, though, because a move of that caliber would likely come with meaningful draft compensation and a new contract structure, which is the kind of hurdle that can turn a speculative fit into a much bigger negotiation. [Read more 🡒]
NFL Mock Just Sent A Fascinating Message About The Panthers Roster
NFL.coms annual win-now mock draft painted an interesting picture of where Carolina stands, with the Panthers coming out of the exercise with help on both sides of the ball. In the scenario, Carolina lands Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Micah Parsons and Fernando Mendoza, a mix that says plenty about how aggressively the roster could be upgraded if the board broke in its favor.
The more revealing part, though, was how many current Panthers were treated like desirable draft assets for other teams. Devin Lloyd was the first Carolina player to come off the board, and the list kept going from there with Derrick Brown, Tetairoa McMillan, Taylor Moton and Mike Jackson all projected elsewhere, a reminder that the league still sees value in several pieces of this roster even as the bigger question around the Panthers remains how close they are to turning that value into a true contender. [Read more 🡒]