Bryce Young’s rise has gone from comeback story to full-blown MVP conversation, and NFL.com has now stamped it with a hefty ranking: the Carolina Panthers quarterback is seventh among NFL passers.
That puts Young one spot behind Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and one spot ahead of New England’s Drake Maye on the list. More than that, it places him alongside names that define quarterback excellence. Young is on the same list as Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and the numbers back up why.
Through the first five games of the season, Young, Rodgers, Manning and Brees are the only quarterbacks in NFL history with 280-plus passing yards and one passing touchdown in the first five games of a season since 2011. Rodgers did it in 2011, while Manning and Brees pulled it off in 2013.
Young has already thrown 11 passing touchdowns in five games, setting a new Panthers franchise record. Not even Cam Newton managed that in his MVP season. Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns as Carolina improved to 3-2 and he pushed that passing score mark even higher.
The raw production has been eye-catching all season. Young has 1,549 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, 25 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, with only two interceptions. He also leads the NFL in passing yards per game at 309.8.
Carolina’s results have followed the same upward swing. The Panthers opened with a loss to the Chicago Bears, beat the Atlanta Falcons, dropped one to the Cleveland Browns, then knocked off the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football before beating the Eagles in Week 6.
A big part of that surge is Tetairoa McMillan. The 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year has 32 catches for 471 yards and two touchdowns in five games, giving Young a dependable target and helping power an offense that’s averaging 29.2 points per game, fourth in the NFL.
Young’s financial situation adds another layer to the story. He’s making $12.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and Carolina picked up his fifth-year option, worth a guaranteed $25.9 million, in the offseason. The Panthers did not sign him to an extension, so another strong season could set him up for one next offseason.
That possibility would have sounded far-fetched not long ago. Young was benched for Andy Dalton in 2024, and plenty of people believed his time in Carolina was nearing the end. Instead, he led the Panthers to the playoffs last season, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a wild-card game at home.
Now the question is whether the turnaround keeps rolling. Carolina visits the 1-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, and Young enters that game with 9,840 career passing yards, 60 career touchdown passes and a 17-32-0 starting record with the Panthers.
As long as he keeps producing and Carolina gets back to the playoffs, the extension talk should only grow louder. For now, the story is simple: Young looks like a franchise quarterback, and he’s playing like one of the best in the league.
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For Carolina, that changes the shape of a matchup already carrying plenty of weight. Tampa Bay still has options on offense, but losing Egbuka removes one of the pieces that has helped stretch defenses, and the Panthers will go into the game knowing the Buccaneers are facing a new wrinkle as they try to sort out their attack. [Read more 🡒]
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Panthers Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Decision On Defense
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One name being floated is Alontae Taylor, giving Carolina a possible fit if it decides to look beyond internal options. The problem is the same one that shadows so many deadline ideas: salary cap realities. Nothing has been confirmed, but the Panthers do appear to be staring at a decision point that could shape the back end of their defense. [Read more 🡒]