Bryce Young spent part of his bye week doing something that had nothing to do with rest and everything to do with paying it forward.
On Sunday in Raleigh, the Carolina Panthers quarterback met with fans at the new Dick’s House of Sport store at Crabtree Valley Mall as part of the grand opening. Some people waited as long as 15 hours for a chance to get Young’s autograph and snap a photo.
That kind of turnout didn’t happen by accident, and Young used the moment to explain why he wanted to be there. He told a Kobe Bryant story that stuck with him from childhood and said it helped shape his view of giving back.
"Yeah, I was able to go to a Kobe Bryant camp when I was younger," Young said, via WRAL. "Being out in the LA area, and was able to take a picture with him, and you know that was just so cool.
I think also one of the coolest things that they kind of like allowed was like they allowed all the campers to like watch him work out. Like you know, obviously it was like off season, but you know it's cold.
Like he was still you know strict regimen and was still working out. I think it was like the like he was working out twice a day."
The timing of Young’s appearance also fits the way his season has started. Carolina sits at 2-2, and Young has been one of the reasons why.
Through four games, the Alabama product has thrown for 1,268 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also added 19 rushing yards and a rushing score.
The advanced numbers back up the production. According to Next Gen Stats, Young has 411 pass yards under pressure, four passing touchdowns under pressure, 321 deep passing yards, seven passing touchdowns outside the numbers, 534 passing yards outside the numbers, 928 passing yards vs. zone coverage and 340 passing yards vs. man coverage.
The Panthers opened the year with a loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 1, beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, fell to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and then knocked off the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football in Week 4.
Young’s contract situation still hangs over everything. He is making $12.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and Carolina already picked up his fifth-year option, which is worth a guaranteed $25.9 million. The Panthers did not agree to an extension with him, so the 2025 season looms as another chance for Young to earn his next major payday.
For now, though, he’s carrying the same momentum he found late last season, when he helped lead Carolina to the playoffs before the Panthers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a wild-card game at home. That run looked a long way off when Young was benched for Andy Dalton in 2024, a move that left plenty of people wondering whether his future in Carolina had already been decided.
Instead, Young is back in command and playing like a quarterback the Panthers can build around. And on Sunday, he showed that the lessons he picked up from Kobe Bryant still matter just as much as the throws he’s making on the field.
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