For much of Bryce Young’s young NFL career, the conversation around the Carolina Panthers quarterback has centered on development. But after a playoff-caliber 2025 season and clear signs of progress, owner David Tepper made it obvious he believes the franchise already has its leader.
And for Tepper, it starts with the person before the player.
“Bryce is a great individual, one of the truly great individuals,” Tepper said during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “There’s a lot of great individuals in the NFL… people don’t appreciate how nice and how good these young men are in general. Bryce is the kind of guy you might want to have your daughter marry."
Carolina Panthers believe they finally have a quarterback to build around in Bryce Young
Young’s career hasn’t followed the clean arc most No. 1 overall picks hope for. Carolina benched him briefly in 2024, and early struggles fueled national doubt about whether he could become a franchise quarterback.
But internally, the Panthers saw something different. They saw a response to adversity.
Tepper described Young’s mentality when facing major hurdles. The quarterback’s focus wasn’t on frustration, but improvement.
The 2025 season gave the Panthers their clearest evidence yet. Carolina reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017 as Young delivered six game-winning drives throughout the year.
“He just took the mindset of, ‘How can I change? How do I make this good? Be the best part of this.’ He’s cool as a cucumber in that fourth quarter,” Tepper said. “He has the most comebacks since ’23.”
That clutch ability has become a defining trait of Young’s profile. Even when games unfolded imperfectly, Carolina still trusted the ball in its quarterback’s hands late.
“It’d be nice to have those first and second quarter leads,” Tepper laughed.
The comment carried a deeper point. Carolina knows its offense still needs consistency, but the franchise already believes in the player guiding it through chaos.
The Panthers still have major decisions ahead, including whether and when to commit to a massive second contract. Carolina plans to continue evaluating Young as the roster improves, and consistency remains the next step in his development.
But Tepper’s comments revealed something important. Inside the franchise, the debate about belief may already be settled.
Owners don’t typically offer personal endorsements, leadership praise, and clutch-game confidence all at once unless they view the quarterback as foundational. Sure, Carolina may still be gathering long-term proof on paper, but publicly, its owner made one thing clear above all else...
The Panthers see Young as the quarterback they’re building around, not one they’re still searching to replace.