The Carolina Panthers are not in a hurry to put a new deal on Bryce Young’s desk.
After a strong start to training camp, the expectation around the league is that Carolina will let Young play through the season before opening extension talks for the No. 1 pick from 2023. Young is entering his fourth season, and it’s a big one for both him and the organization after the Panthers won the NFC South last year.
That approach fits with what executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis said Monday, when he declined to get into any possible extension discussions. Tilis, who handles the team’s salary cap and contracts, said he sees plenty of room left for Young to grow.
“I would say he ascended last year and there’s still room for him to ascend,” said Tilis, who was with Kansas City in 2020 when the Chiefs negotiated an unprecedented 10-year deal with Patrick Mahomes. “His ceiling currently is unknown, and I think that’s exciting for us. And he’s working hard to get himself there.”
Tilis also sounded optimistic when asked whether the Panthers have done enough to support their quarterback. In the process, he may have tipped the team’s hand on its plans.
“The team is better. The coaches are good, and Bryce is putting in the work, too.
So it’s all there. We’ll just see how the year plays out,” Tilis said.
“I think we’re all really excited for what Bryce is gonna show and how the team’s gonna be.”
When pressed on that “see how the year plays out” line, Tilis stuck to his position that contract talks are staying internal.
For now, Carolina has already locked in some long-term control by picking up Young’s fifth-year option for 2027, which is estimated at $25.9 million, according to Over the Cap.
Young is coming off a season that checked a lot of boxes. He set career highs in every major passing category and helped the Panthers end a seven-year playoff drought. But the growth came with some uneven stretches, and the challenge only gets tougher with the season set to begin without Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, Carolina’s starting offensive tackles since 2022.
Young won’t be on the field Thursday in Canton, either. He’ll watch the Hall of Fame Game from the sideline while veteran Kenny Pickett starts against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL’s first preseason game.
Canales said Pickett gives the Panthers a steady hand.
“A veteran player, so he knows how to work. He knows how to study and prepare,” Canales said of Pickett.
“He comes out, and all the checks are right, getting the protections the way you want. And then on top of that, just every day there seems to be some special throw down the field.
He’s got that in his bag.”
Thursday’s game also comes with another notable Panthers connection in Canton: franchise icon Luke Kuechly’s enshrinement.
In Other News...
Luke Kuechly Just Reignited A Debate Panthers Fans Know Too Well
Luke Kuechly is heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a class that includes Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Roger Craig and Adam Vinatieri, a fitting next step for a career that defined the middle of the Panthers defense for years. The rsum is hard to argue with: 1,090 tackles, 18 interceptions, seven Pro Bowls and an AP Defensive Player of the Year award, all piled up before his career was cut short far earlier than anyone around the team would have wanted.
Still, Kuechlys latest spotlight came with a familiar side of frustration for Carolina fans. CBS Sports left him off its list of the 100 greatest NFL players, and he was not the only Panther to get squeezed out. Cam Newton and Julius Peppers were absent as well, a reminder that even when the Hall of Fame catches up to a player, outside rankings can still leave plenty of room for debate. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Quarterback Room
The Panthers took a look at Kyle Trask last week, but for now they have kept their quarterback room intact as they head into the preseason. With Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett and Haynes King already on hand, head coach Dave Canales said the team is balancing injuries and roster considerations while getting ready for its first exhibition game.
Canales comments make the current plan pretty clear: Carolina does not feel a need to add a fourth arm at this point, even after bringing Trask in for a workout. It is the sort of checkpoint that can change quickly in August, but for the moment the Panthers are moving forward with the group they have and keeping the focus on sorting out depth as camp shifts into game week. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Just Got Pulled Back Into A Panthers QB Debate
Bryce Youngs place in Carolina has mostly been framed as the long-term answer, but the conversation around the Panthers quarterback future is not as settled as it once looked. Even with the belief that Young is likely to remain the starter beyond his 2027 option year, the teams next move at the position is still being discussed in broader terms, especially as the roster continues to search for stability under center.
One name that cant be ignored in that kind of discussion is Baker Mayfield, whose situation in Tampa Bay has become part of the backdrop for Carolinas own quarterback planning. A reunion would still feel like a long shot, but it remains the sort of speculative lane the Panthers could keep in view if Young regresses and the contract picture around Mayfield eventually lines up in a workable way. [Read more 🡒]