NFL insider opines on Panthers' contract situation with QB Bryce Young

The most important decision that the Carolina Panthers will make over the next couple of years is on the future of starting quarterback Bryce Young.

At the moment, Young is still under contract for two more years after having his fifth-year option picked up. If Young doesn't sign a new pact going before the 2027 season, then he'll cost the team $25.9 million—all of it fully guaranteed.

According to Over the Cap, the Panthers can eat into that number with a contract extension for Young—saving just under $20 million in 2027. However, ESPN insider Dan Graziano suggests that Carolina is in no rush to sign the former No. 1 overall pick to a new deal.

Graziano wrote the following in an article from Tuesday:

"Add in the fact that there aren't currently any big quarterback extensions on the horizon anywhere else that would scare Houston into trying to get ahead of the market. Carolina doesn't seem in a huge hurry to do a Bryce Young extension..."

The potential cap savings are undeniably an allure, but this is the right path forward by the organization. Even $20 million isn't close to being worth making the wrong decision at QB1, a death knell for many NFL executives.

Young has shown flashes of brilliant levels of play several times over the last three seasons—and if he can perform like that more often than not, then the Panthers would be ludicrous not to sign him to a lucrative long-term agreement.

However, Young still isn't playing at that level consistently enough to justify a second contract (yet) given what starters are making these days. Thanks to the fifth-year option, general manager Dan Morgan has time to determine what Young's ceiling is, and if he can even get there.

10 starters are or more—and by the time Young is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March of 2028, that number could be at 15 to 16. Young's next deal would likely reach that figure if he hits the open market, so the Panthers would probably have to pony up at least that much if they want him to stick around.