The Carolina Panthers have returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, even though they posted just an 8-9 record in the regular season. That ended up being good enough to win the weak NFC South division, though, and now, third-year quarterback Bryce Young will look to lead his squad to the first playoff victory of his young career.
In 2025, Young enjoyed the best season of his pro career, although that isn’t saying much, considering how poorly he played in his first two years. Some folks aren’t sold on Young as Carolina’s quarterback of the future, but it doesn’t sound like that is going to stop the team from making a huge decision on the former No. 1 overall pick’s future with the team this upcoming offseason.
Panthers Set to Exercise Bryce Young’s Fifth-Year Option
Young has had a fairly confusing start to his NFL career with the Panthers. In 2024, Young was so bad under center that he ended up getting benched in favor of Andy Dalton for half of the year. He would eventually get his starting job back, and he showed enough down the stretch to convince Carolina to stick with him at quarterback in 2025.
In 16 games this year, Young spent much of his time on the field running hot or cold. At his best, Young has Pro Bowl potential, but when he’s struggling, he looks like he has no business being in the NFL. Young threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also rushing for 216 yards and two more scores. Those numbers aren’t great, but they are a step up from what Young had shown in 2023 and 2024.
At the end of the day, Young got the Panthers to the playoffs, so he’s doing something right. Whether or not he’s the long-term answer at quarterback, though, remains to be seen. It looks like Carolina isn’t going to give up on him just yet, as reports have emerged indicating that it will pick up the fifth-year option in Young’s rookie contract over the offseason.
“Carolina is expected to pick up the fifth-year option on QB Bryce Young’s contract this off-season, which is typical,” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared in a post on X. “As Evan Kaplan pointed out, of the eight QBs picked No. 1 overall since 2011, there never has been a QB drafted No. 1 overall whose fifth-year option wasn’t picked up.”
Is Bryce Young the Panthers’ Quarterback of the Future?
GettyNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 14: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers scrambles during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on December 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The decision to pick up Young’s fifth-year option isn’t all that surprising, as the Panthers are looking to buy themselves more time to figure out what he’s truly capable of. To this point, Young has struggled to consistently lead his team to victory, but he took some steps in the right direction this year. He’s going to have to build on that, though, in order to convince Carolina to commit to him long-term.
Young will have a great opportunity to prove he can be the guy for the Panthers when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in their wild-card playoff matchup. In their regular-season meeting earlier this year, Young led Carolina to a stunning upset victory, proving that when he’s on his game, he’s capable of putting up big numbers. Whether or not he can do that again will likely determine whether or not the Panthers will move on to the divisional round of the postseason.
Panthers Expected to Make Major Bryce Young Contract Decision Over Offseason