There is a friendly rivalry brewing within the Carolina Panthers that could inspire the team to better fortunes next season and beyond.
It's been a long time since the Panthers had something like this between their star quarterback and shutdown cornerback. Bryce Young and Jaycee Horn are pushing each other to be great. That's coming across throughout offseason workouts so far and was evident once again on Day 1 of Carolina's mandatory minicamp.
There is trash-talking. There is a competitive fire between the two. There is mutual respect. While it hasn't reached the volatility of Cam Newton and Josh Norman just yet, it's the sort of spirited competition that will make them better and that others will feed off as the summer progresses.
Carolina Panthers must feed off Bryce Young-Jaycee Horn practice rivalry
Dave Canales was broached about the subject after practice. The head coach highlighted Young's resolve and growing confidence as reasons behind his extra swagger in the face of Horn. He also thought it's something both are thriving off as they sharpen their respective tools before the 2025 campaign begins.
"Honestly, it gets really animated. He [Bryce Young] just has that defiance to him. That's just his way of competing, you know. He's not super animated with it, but he definitely thrives off of that, feeds off of that energy, and he takes his chances when he can because Jaycee's trying to bait him into throwing the ball over there."Dave Canales via Joe Person
Bryce Young was jawing w/ Jaycee Horn today. Dave Canales on a side of Bryce outsiders haven’t really seen: pic.twitter.com/TT9Wui0DDf
— Joe Person (@josephperson) June 10, 2025
Horn acknowledged that he's seeing something different from Young this offseason. The signal-caller's added confidence and being more comfortable entering Year 3 lit a fire under him. It's also bringing a positive response from the defensive back, who's more than up for the challenge.
Jaycee Horn says Bryce Young is talking trash more and more every day. “It’s getting fun.” #Panthers pic.twitter.com/40vI1ARXy1
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 10, 2025
As the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron. Watching Young and Horn go toe-to-toe benefits everybody. It'll inspire others to show the same commitment, and it'll also add an extra sense of urgency to preparations for good measure.
Young and Horn will be integral to any success that comes Carolina's way. They are both high-end draft picks. They are both on an upward trajectory. They are both potential franchise cornerstones to build around long-term.
So long as things don't boil over, it's only going to be positive. And if it does escalate once or twice, that's fine too.
This is all about the Panthers getting better. Young and Horn are leading from the front with a tone-setting mindset that's hard not to love. Long may it continue.