The Carolina Panthers made a huge blockbuster trade before the 2023 NFL Draft to get their franchise quarterback.
The Chicago Bears appear to be the winner of the deal that ended up with Bryce Young as the No. 1 overall pick that year for the Panthers.
The Panthers and Bears play in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, and it’s an opportunity to look back on the trade that has shaped what these two franchises look like right now.
There’s certainly a case to be made that Carolina fans shouldn’t look too closely at this. It’s a bit painful.
Bryce Young Trade Details
The Panthers originally held the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they wanted Young, and so they made this big move.
The only asset that Carolina received in the deal was the 2023 No. 1 overall pick.
The Bears received one active player, the talented DJ Moore, who became a good wide receiver for them.
They also got first-round picks in 2023 and 2024, as well as second-round picks in 2023 and 2025.
Those picks eventually turned into offensive tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Luther Burden.
Just the Williams part of that is enough for it to be a win for Chicago, and those other players have shown potential to be solid picks, too.
The Bears actually then traded Moore this offseason to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick, and then they dealt that pick to acquire Stanford tight end Sam Roush, so that’s one more continuation of the assets that Chicago got, indirectly, from Carolina.
Bryce Young vs. Caleb Williams
The stats favor Williams in this showdown of two players who, in various universes, could’ve ended up with the opposite franchise.
But playing quarterback is also about winning, and leadership, and hope for a franchise, and so there’s still a lot to be achieved for both Young and Williams.
They were both division champions in 2025, although Williams and the Bears went 11-6 while Young and the Panthers needed just an 8-9 record to win the NFC South.
Young showed a knack for delivering against better opponents and in close games in the fourth quarter, and Williams was often at his best with the game on the line.
Williams appears to have a lot more natural talent, and he’s certainly got more size than Young. It’d be tough to pick Young over Williams in any kind of do-over of those drafts.
There’s still a lot of time, though. This season, Young will either prove to Carolina that he deserves a long-term contract extension, or not. If he continues his growth, the Panthers can still be glad to have him, even if the overall trade tree doesn’t really favor them on the outcome of their deal with Chicago.
Panthers’ Bryce Young Trade Gave Bears a Future