Panthers Urged to Replace Bryce Young with Justin Herbert in Unwise Move

The Carolina Panthers have finally solved their QB problem. After cycling through replacements for Cam Newton and desperately trying to develop Bryce Young, the Panthers seem set at the position. Most people agree.

The operative word there is most. Henry McKenna and Steven Ruiz discussed Justin Herbert's trade prospects as the Los Angeles Chargers flounder, and the Panthers incomprehensibly got named as a a landing spot.

If Justin Herbert demands a trade, who might pick up the phone? Where might he actually want to go?

Two possible suitors: Panthers, Buccaneers.

It's one of many topics that @theStevenRuiz and I hit on in The QB Room podcast this week.

🎧⤵️https://t.co/AlHpaq43ga pic.twitter.com/tBzi2IejBL
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 15, 2026

McKenna said, "We'll see what happens with Bryce Young as the season goes on. I could see a team like the Panthers, that would be the type of team, a team that will finish in the middle of the draft and the middle of the league."

Ruiz interjected with excitement over the prospect of Herbert landing on the Panthers. McKenna added, "You're probably talking about more than three firsts because it's that middle-of-the-round pick."

McKenna also said that Young would be included in the deal as a "sweetener," so the Panthers wouldn't have to pay as much in draft capital outside the three first-round picks.

This is patently absurd for a number of reasons. Herbert is a good quarterback and he's probably going to bounce back and continue having a good NFL career, but that's no guarantee. It was supposed to work perfectly with Mike McDaniel, and he's been atrocious.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) runs the ball | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Young is on the upswing, and Herbert may be on the downswing. Young is also younger and will be cheaper. Herbert's on a monster extension, and Young, while he's earning a big payday, likely won't be as costly.

Plus, the Panthers would have to trade a bunch of assets to the Chargers. Is this team a marginal, if that, upgrade at QB away from being a contender? Not at all, so they'd be mortgaging the future for nothing.

Plus, it's likely that Young would excel in Los Angeles. Many floated the idea of, when Young had been benched, sending the QB to the Dolphins so he could take the Tua Tagovailoa role because of their playstyle similarities.

So, if McDaniel made it work with Tagovailoa, he'd probably love having Young. It would be a tough pill to swallow on all fronts.

Plus, while this may be the sunk-cost fallacy, the Panthers have invested a ton to get Young to this point. Everyone involved has worked so hard to get him to an elite level, and it's all finally paying off.

Why would they trade him for someone who's going to cost a ton of picks and is having the worst year of his career so far?

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