Would the Carolina Panthers be wise to sign Bryce Young for $50 million a year?

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is eligible for a contract extension during the 2026 NFL offseason. Panthers GM Dan Morgan must decide this offseason if the team wants to exercise the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 NFL Draft.

There are currently 16 quarterbacks whose contract pays them on average $40-plus million dollars per year, 11 of which are making $50-plus million per year according to Over The Cap.

Dak Prescott, Dallas - $60 million/year
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati - $55 million/year
Josh Allen, Buffalo – $55 million/year
Jordan Love, Green Bay - $55 million/year
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville - $55 million/year
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami - $53.1 million/year
Jared Goff, Detroit - $53 million/year
Brock Purdy, San Francisco - $53 million/year
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers - $52.5 million/year
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore - $52 million/year
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia - $51 million/year
Kyler Murray, Arizona - $56.1 million/year
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland - $46 million/year
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta - $45 million/year
Patrick Mahomes - $45 million/year
Matt Stafford - $40 million/year

Where does Young rank in some key statistical categories compared to the rest of the league through Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season? Keep in mind, Watson isn’t playing due to injury, while Burrow, Jackson, and Purdy have missed multiple games due to injury, and Cousins has been relegated to backup duty with the Falcons, while there are other quarterbacks like Young that are also still on their rookie contracts, such as Drake Maye in New England and Caleb Williams in Chicago.

(Stats via Pro Football Reference with at least 110 pass attempts)

	League Leader	League Average	Bryce Young
Yards per attempt	Sam Darnold, SEA - 9.1 YPA	7.0 YPA	31st – 5.8 YPA
Completion percentage	Drake Maye, NE – 75.2%	65.6 %	25th – 61.6%
Intended air yards per attempt	Matthew Stafford, LAR & Sam Darnold, SEA – 9.2 IAY/PA	7.6 IAY/PA	t-28th – 6.5 IAY/PA
Yards gained per completion	Matthew Stafford, LAR & Sam Darnold, SEA – 9.2 IAY/PA	7.6 IAY/PA	t-28th – 6.5 IAY/PA
Pass success rate (40% of yards needed on 1st down, 60% of yards needed on 2nd down, 100% of yards needed on 3rd & 4th down)	Daniel Jones, IND – 56.3%	45.9%	21st – 44.3%
Interception percentage	Justin Fields, NYJ – 0.0%	2.1%	t-21st – 2.2%
Bad Throw percentage	Dak Prescott, DAL – 9.1%	15.1 %	29th - 19.5%

Bryce Young's pass chart from the New England Patriots is indicative of lots of targets to TE and RBs.#carolinapanthers pic.twitter.com/ekIz3bzDYi
— CharlotteVibe (@charlottevibe) September 29, 2025

This information can be taken in a myriad of ways, but Young ranks towards the bottom of the league in many of these areas, and the use of percentages is more telling that just overall totals.

If you’re one who subscribes that wins & losses are a quarterback stat then keep this in mind: the Carolina Panthers are 7-5 in Young’s career when he attempts LESS than 30 passes per game, but just 3-20 when attempting 30 or more.

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