Bryce Young is the undisputed No. 1 quarterback after making some encouraging strides in his third season with the Carolina Panthers. But for the first time in his professional career, reports suggest that he could have a new understudy during the 2026 campaign.
General manager Dan Morgan outlined his desire to find a younger quarterback to develop if the opportunity arose this offseason. Young is now seasoned and no longer needs a mentor-type presence to guide him in the room. Although he's developed a close relationship with Andy Dalton over the years, one respected team insider doesn't believe his status on the roster is guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination.
Dalton didn't perform well when given reps in the starting lineup. The signal-caller's limitations are evident at this late stage of his playing journey. He's respected in the locker room and is a strong presence behind the scenes during Young's game-to-game planning, but that only goes so far.
Carolina Panthers insider suggests Dan Morgan wants to move away from Andy Dalton
Joe Person of The Athletic thought the Panthers would prefer to remove Dalton from the equation this spring if a suitable replacement can be found. The cap savings would be minimal, but Carolina's expected desire to acquire someone with longer-term upside means his departure couldn't be ruled out entirely.
"The Panthers extended Dalton last February on a two-year, $8 million deal that includes a $2 million guaranteed salary this year. So releasing him would bring negligible cap savings, unless he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut. If the Panthers don’t sign a quarterback in free agency, they could hang on to Dalton. But that doesn’t appear to be their preference."Joe Person
Cutting Dalton would require a post-June 1 designation. That would save the Panthers $2 million in cap space while eating $3.84 million in dead money. This was the risk Carolina took when they gave the TCU product a two-year extension last year. Had they made it a year-to-year arrangement, they could say goodbye this spring with no financial ramifications attached.
That didn't happen. And now, Morgan is facing a tricky decision with the three-time Pro Bowler.
Dalton will be 39 during the 2026 season. His days in the pros are fading quickly. Ideally, he would like to see out his contract with the Panthers before potentially walking away from the game. At the same time, the decision may be taken out of his hands when push comes to shove.
Young is deeply appreciative of the impact Dalton's had throughout his rollercoaster NFL ride so far. He served a tremendous purpose, but this relationship has potentially run its course.