NFL Insider's Expectations for Bryce Young Extension are Ridiculously Lofty

The Carolina Panthers have a crucial decision to make about Bryce Young. Right now, it seems pretty obvious that he's going to play 2026 without an extension before his fifth-year option kicks in in 2027.

Between now and then, the Panthers have to decide if Young's worth an extension, and it seems like they believe he is. They also have to decide how much that extension should be worth.

Will it be a record-setting sort of deal like so many QB contracts these days? Or will it be along the lines of the affordable deals that Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield got?

Well, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, there's only one scenario where Young earns an extension, and it's not the latter where Young gets a Darnold-esque contract.

Insider's prediction for Bryce Young is ludicrous and unfair

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks downfield during the first day of mini camp | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

All or nothing seems to be the name of the game with NFL teams these days, especially as it pertains to young quarterbacks. If they're picked highly, they play early, and it's sink or swim. Either they're great, or they're not. There is no in between.

We have plenty of evidence that's not the case. These reclamation projects like Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Baker Mayfield are only happening because teams bought into that "all or nothing" mindset. The Panthers, to their credit, haven't yet, despite benching Bryce Young briefly in 2024.

Despite that, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer believes it's all or nothing for Young in 2026. He's playing for an extension, and if he doesn't reach ridiculously high standards that he's never reached before, Breer foresees the Panthers making a QB change.

"The Panthers look poised to head into the fourth year of Bryce Young’s contract, and it is, to be clear, a critical one for everyone involved. Yes, they’ve exercised his fifth-year option for 2027 at $25.9 million. But if Young doesn’t look like the kind of guy the team would want to invest a deal at more than $50 million per year in this fall, then Carolina will become a suitor for a quarterback next spring," Breer wrote.

It is highly unlikely that this is the case. That puts way too much strain on a quarterback to be something he isn't. That makes it so that Young has to jump into a tier of QB that includes Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws in front of head coach Dave Canales | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Why isn't there a middle ground? It's true that teams are always in search of that caliber of quarterback, but those obviously don't come around all that often. Why can't the Panthers extend him for $35 million and be happy with the savings so they can give Young a better supporting cast?

This is how teams stay bad. They put too much on a young quarterback's shoulders, and if he's not worth a historic contract, then they ditch him and move on. It's a ridiculous, unfair cycle, and it's unlikely the Panthers are going to buy into it, no matter what Breer may have in mind.

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