Bryce Young just enjoyed the best game of his early career against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, a heartbreaking 30-27 walk-off loss.
He completed critical passes to lead the Panthers on a game-tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, erasing an 11-point deficit in the final 31 minutes against a formidable NFL defense. And since he returned to the starting lineup in Week 8 – after Carolina benched him prior to Week 3 – he’s 2-2.
That’s great for Young. It’s not great for the future of the Carolina franchise. Former NFL defensive back Domonique Foxworth discussed that perspective earlier this week.
“It’s not enough to hop back on the train,” he said on this week’s edition of the Domonique Foxworth Show. “He’s looked pretty good in a couple games … still does not have the arm strength or the athletic ability to separate himself from anybody else. He’s going to have to be Drew Brees-level precision, which he’s not.”
No question, Young’s confidence and touch has improved, and he’s made much better decisions since replacing Andy Dalton in the lineup Oct. 27. But the most important decision doesn’t belong to Young. It’s also bigger than whether Dave Canales is committing to Young as his starter this season, beginning with Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers (5-6) at Bank of America Stadium (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX).
Even if the Panthers (3-8) show remarkable improvement down the stretch, and even if Young leads the Panthers to a victory in the 2025 NFC playoffs — as Daniel Jones did with the Giants in 2022 — then what?
“It’s optimistic for him, not optimistic for the Panthers,” Foxworth added, analyzing the view of producer Charlie Kravitz. “The Panthers would hate if the result was good enough and they extended him, which would put them into purgatory for a little bit longer.”
While many players make their largest improvement from Year 1 to Year 2, the key season for Young is Year 3. That’s because at minimum Carolina needs to decide whether to commit to the quarterback on a fifth-year option. The team’s window for making that call is a four-month period from January 2026 until after the ’26 draft. And because the Panthers still owe Chicago their second-round choice in 2025, don’t be surprised if Carolina skips a mediocre 2025 quarterback class and rolls with Young as its starter next season.
While Jones is an interesting comp to the Young situation, considering the Giants committed big money to Jones, another interesting situation is Carolina’s opponent this week, Baker Mayfield. Like Young a No. 1 overall selection, Mayfield earned a fifth-year option from the Browns but Cleveland didn’t commit to him contractually past his fifth NFL season, 2022. Then, ironically, the Browns traded him to the Panthers in the summer of 2022. Mayfield played only seven games in Carolina before joining the Rams later that season. Now, he has the Buccaneers hot on Atlanta’s tail in an NFC South pennant chase.
For more information on the Panthers and Buccaneers, visit the Carolina and Tampa Bay team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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