Panthers likely to let Bryce Young play out season before talking extension

Panthers likely to let Bryce Young play out season before talking extension

Economy World


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers practice Monday ended in the same fashion as one from last week: With Bryce Young connecting with Tetairoa McMillan on a touchdown pass on the day’s final play.

Young has had a terrific start to training camp as the No. 1 pick from 2023 prepares for his fourth season, an important one for him and the organization following the Panthers’ NFC South title last year.

The Panthers, according to league sources familiar with the situation but not permitted to speak about it publicly, are expected to let Young play out this season before considering a contract extension for a player who took a step forward in his development in 2025.

Executive vice president of football operations, Brandt Tilis, who spearheads the team’s salary cap and contracts said Monday he wouldn’t discuss a possible extension with Young (or other players), but he expressed confidence in the QB’s ability to continue his upward trend.

“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.”

In answering a question about whether the Panthers have surrounded Young with enough talent, Tilis might have let the team’s plans for their quarterback slip.

“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 asked about his comment about his “see how the year plays out” comment, Tilis reiterated he was keeping all contract-related discussions in-house.

The Panthers have picked up Young’s fifth-year option for 2027, worth an estimated $25.9 million, according to Over the Cap. Young is coming off a season in which he set career highs in every major passing category and helped the Panthers snap a seven-year playoff drought.

But Young was still prone to stretches of inconsistency, and he’ll start the season without Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, the Panthers’ starting offensive tackles since 2022.

Young will watch Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton from the sideline. Panthers coach Dave Canales said veteran Kenny Pickett will start against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL’s first exhibition game. Pickett, entering his fifth season, signed a one-year deal with Carolina in March.

“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.”

Canales said no starters will play Thursday in a preseason game that falls two days before franchise icon Luke Kuechly’s enshrinement in Canton.