Dan Morgan: We'll exercise Bryce Young's fifth-year option after the draft

The Panthers indicated back in January that they were planning on exercising quarterback Bryce Young’s fifth-year option for 2027 this spring.

While that hasn’t happened quite yet, General Manager Dan Morgan said on Tuesday that it will occur soon.

“Once the draft’s over, we’ll definitely get that going,” Morgan said in his press conference. “Obviously, the player’s not in the building yet. … We’ll get that done as soon as he gets back in the building.”

Carolina’s offseason program begins next week on Monday, April 20. With the draft beginning next Thursday, it stands to reason that the Panthers will officially pick up Young’s option within the next two weeks.

Based on his playing time, Young is projected to earn $25.904 million guaranteed on the fifth-year option in 2027. Beyond that, it’s unclear what kind of long-term deal Young could command.

Young helped lead the Panthers to the postseason for the first time in his career in 2025, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished the postseason loss to the Rams 21-of-40 for 264 yards with one TD and one pick.