Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young fields malicious insult from NFL exec

Bryce Young can't seem to catch a break.

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is tackled for a loss by Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

According to NFL executives, the Carolina Panthers are the second-worst team in the NFC. Never mind the fact that they didn't finish second-worst in 2024 and have gotten significantly better over the offseason. Executives feel that they're only better than the dreadful New Orleans Saints.

One executive even somehow listed them as 16th, with the Saints ranking 12th in that same column, which is as shocking as it is insulting. The Panthers will not finish worse than the Saints this season, but that's not all. In analyzing the team, one executive paid a mean-spirited insult to Bryce Young, too.

Carolina Panthers, Bryce Young get blatantly disrespected by one NFL executive

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks for an open receiver during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have a lot of problems, but for once, QB isn't one of them. Bryce Young's return from the bench last year saved his career and the Panthers, and he gives them all the hope they have for 2025.

But thanks to one NFL executive, he's still being reduced to his height for criticism. “I don’t know what makes them good,” one anonymous exec said. “I’m not convinced the quarterback is anything but a small guy, so you have to piece his throws together.”

That was a consistent criticism of Young throughout his fraught early NFL career, but he's since turned a major corner, proving that his size does not limit him. Despite being shorter than most QBs, he outplayed a ton of them in the last few games of 2024.

There are criticisms to be lobbied at Young even still, but that one is just meant to be hurtful and probably get a laugh at Young's expense. It speaks to a misunderstanding of how Young plays and how well he does in overcoming those limitations.

For what it's worth, a different NFL executive, one who ranked the team ninth in the NFC, had a much more positive outlook. “I think Bryce Young will continue to ascend,” they said. “The big thing will be, can he mitigate the turnovers and not have those throws where you are like, ‘Man, you are too smart to make that type of throw.’”

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