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Hilarious Bryce Young Trend Actually Bodes Well for Panthers

Could Bryce Young set NFL records in a couple of seasons? Probably not, but he can keep improving.
Zach Roberts|
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs on field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs on field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young's rookie season with the Carolina Panthers was an unmitigated disaster. Fault can be assigned to a ton of people, but Young finished with 11 passing touchdowns in 16 starts.

The next season was significantly better, even if he went to the bench. He made just 12 starts, but he threw 15 touchdown passes in those games. It was an incremental improvement.

In 2025, Young made 16 starts again, and he improved pretty much across the board, including tossing 23 touchdown passes. That's an improvement by four and then eight, which implies, as Ian Hartitz pointed out, an increase by 16 in 2025.

That's not totally out of the question, although it is a steep tally. Just one QB threw that many this year, and Matthew Stafford may win MVP because of it. Young throwing 39 is probably not going to happen, but more than 23 is almost assuredly going to happen.

This is because of several factors:

  • More experience with Dave Canales' system
  • Improvement in play-calling now that Canales knows what Young can really do
  • More development for Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette
  • Another pass-catcher (likely a tight end) in the draft or free agency
  • More development for Young himself

He's not going to go on that hilarious trend and set NFL records in year five or anything, but Young has steadily improved year after year. He's still a very young quarterback who is seemingly getting his feet under him, so more improvement is highly likely.

Bryce Youn
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) reacts in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

This improvement is what the Panthers are banking on. That's why they're so readily picking up his fifth-year option and are even beginning discussions internally about an extension.

Is Young ever going to be the best quarterback in the NFL? Probably not, but you can't ask much more from a physically limited QB than to literally improve every single year.

The Panthers are a young team, but they've also improved overall each year, going from two wins to five and then eight (and a division title) in the Young era. All of it suggests the arrow, for the QB and the team, is pointing north.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI.

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