Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud will always be linked - that’s just how it goes when you’re taken No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the same NFL Draft.
The Carolina Panthers went all-in on Young with the top pick in 2023, while the Houston Texans followed up by selecting Stroud. Fast forward three seasons, and the conversation around these two young quarterbacks is as complicated as ever.
NFL analyst Chris Simms recently weighed in on the debate during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, and his take was... nuanced. When asked who he’d rather extend to a new contract, Simms leaned toward Bryce Young - but not exactly with a ringing endorsement.
“I would have gone, no-brainer, C.J. Stroud, before the playoffs or the end of the regular season,” Simms said.
“It was questionable towards the end of the regular season. I've had people go, ‘They think his concussion in the middle part of the year was still affecting him.’
He has been in some different offensive systems. But man, [Stroud] really lost his way towards the end of the year…”
That’s a pretty significant shift in tone, especially considering how strong Stroud looked early in his career. But as Simms pointed out, the back half of the 2025 season raised some red flags. Whether it was the lingering effects of a midseason concussion or the growing pains of working within evolving offensive schemes, Stroud didn’t look like the same quarterback down the stretch.
Simms ultimately gave a slight edge to Young, though he admitted it wasn’t a confident pick.
“I sit here now, I guess, giving the edge to Bryce Young - but don’t feel necessarily great about that,” Simms continued. “I mean, I know Carolina went into the year going, ‘Hey, we like Young, but we don’t have our quarterback yet.
We don’t really know. We don’t think we got the guy.’
He played better, definitely. How do [the Panthers] feel about that?
I’m sure they feel better, but I wouldn’t sit here and just go, ‘Oh, we’re just golden at quarterback.’”
That’s the crux of where things stand. Young is coming off his best year as a pro, showing real signs of growth in Year 3.
He threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns, both career highs, and bumped his completion percentage up to 63.6%. He also added a pair of rushing scores - a small but encouraging sign that he’s becoming more comfortable operating as a dual-threat when needed.
For Stroud, it was a different story. While he finished with a slightly higher completion percentage (64.5%), his 3,041 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes were both career lows.
"I sit here now, I guess, giving the edge to Bryce Young – but don't feel necessarily great about that."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 12, 2026
– @CSimmsQB weighs in on the Bryce Young vs C.J. Stroud debate. pic.twitter.com/ViqjYfwTSb
That’s not the kind of step forward you want to see in a third-year quarterback, especially one who looked so promising early on. There’s no question the Texans need to figure out what went wrong - and fast.
Both quarterbacks are still just 24 years old, and both are eligible for a fifth-year option heading into the 2026 season. That gives their teams some flexibility, but it also puts pressure on the front offices in Carolina and Houston to make some big decisions soon.
Do they commit long-term? Do they wait it out another season?
Or do they start thinking about other options?
Right now, Young seems to have a slight edge in terms of trajectory, but neither QB has fully cemented himself as the guy. The next season could be pivotal for both - not just for their teams, but for how their careers are ultimately remembered.