Bleacher Report has the Carolina Panthers ranked as the NFL’s 20th-best team, a nod that comes with a built-in warning label.
Yes, Carolina won the NFC South last season. But the Panthers still finished below .500 and needed help in Week 18 just to lock up the division, which is why the praise comes with a dose of skepticism. As NFL analyst Kristopher Knox put it, "The Panthers have the pieces to repeat as division champs, but an 8-9 record isn't likely to get it done this year."
One major storyline hanging over Carolina is what happens with Bryce Young. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday on SportsCenter that the Panthers are not expected to work out an extension for Young this offseason. Young is set 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.
"The feeling leaguewide is that he will play out his fourth year and not get a new deal this summer, but everybody seems to be okay with that," Fowler reported Saturday on ESPN's SportsCenter. "The Panthers love Young, but they are in a little bit of a wait-and-see mode with him. They just want to see him put it all together.
"He's been erratic at times. He's been really good at times.
He's been a closer late in games helping them get to the playoffs. If he can do that again and put together some more consistent passing performances, he's in line for a big-time payday."
Young’s 2025 season gave Carolina enough to keep believing. He threw for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, added 216 rushing yards and two rushing scores, and guided the Panthers to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.
The first overall pick in the 2023 draft has now piled up 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in a Panthers uniform. As a starter, he is 14-30-0.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Bigger Ikem Ekwonu Question Than Expected
Ikem Ekwonu had built a reputation in Carolina as the kind of left tackle a team can trust and then stop worrying about, which is no small thing for a former sixth overall pick and a Charlotte native. He played every snap across his first two seasons, then dealt with injury trouble in 2024, but his steady work and solid play still earned him a place at No. 65 on the Panthers all-time top 100 list.
Now the bigger question is how Carolina handles the edge of its offensive line while Ekwonu works his way back. The Panthers added a tackle who can press for the left tackle job in his absence, and there is at least a possibility Ekwonu could eventually slide to the right side, leaving the team with a decision that goes well beyond simply waiting for him to return. [Read more 🡒]
Jaycee Horn Looks Like A Star Until One Problem Shows Up
Jaycee Horn gave the Panthers exactly what they hoped for on the back end in 2025. After a 2024 season in which Carolina allowed the most touchdown passes in the league with Horn and Mike Jackson as the starting corners, the defense took a clear step forward and cut its passing touchdowns allowed to 20. Horn was a big part of that turnaround, earning his second Pro Bowl nod and tying his career high with five interceptions, the kind of ball production that keeps him in the conversation with the leagues better cover corners.
Still, the broader picture around Carolinas defense remains unfinished under Dave Canales. Even with Horn playing at a high level in coverage, the Panthers have continued to fight for answers up front, where pressure and sacks have been a problem throughout the tenure. Horns value is obvious, but the next step for this defense is making sure his work on the back end is matched by more disruption at the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]