When Carolina Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis was asked about a potential contract extension for Bryce Young, his answer was simple and revealing.
“We’ll see how the year plays out.”
While some fans have taken it the wrong way, the truth is that Carolina is not turning on its quarterback. The Panthers are simply refusing to rush into a franchise-defining financial commitment before they have to.
Bryce Young must show more to justify massive Carolina Panthers contract extension
And that is the right call.
Young is entering the final guaranteed year of his rookie deal, with a fifth-year option already picked up for 2027 at $25.9 million. The Panthers could start extension talks now if they wanted to. They're taking the wait-and-see approach instead, and Tilis made it clear that's by design.
The former Alabama star's 2025 season was the best of his career, but that’s also just one season. Young's lows remain borderline disastrous, though they are becoming far less frequent. Adding consistency will be the tipping point, because his growing voice as a leader is already making a positive impression this summer.
Young was still prone to glaring errors last season, even in a breakout year. He's also about to play through a career-defining fourth year without his top two edge protectors.
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Ikem Ekwonu is out until further notice with a torn patellar tendon. If that wasn't bad enough, veteran right tackle Taylor Moton is also missing after blood clots were discovered shortly before the start of training camp.
Rookie first-rounder Monroe Freeling and free-agent signing Rasheed Walker might provide assurance, but it might not be the same either.
An extension for Young before he's proven he can produce behind a rebuilt offensive line, with a new deep threat in wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan still developing chemistry with him, would be the Panthers betting on the version of the signal-caller they saw in flashes rather than the version they'd be paying for the next five years.
Now Carolina isn't shutting the door on paying Young. But the Panthers are going to make him earn it against a tougher setup this year.
No Ekwonu and no Moton, for now. And a full season to prove last year wasn't just a product of an easier surrounding cast.
If Young plays anywhere close to his 2025 level with less protection, Carolina won't have a choice. The price will only go up from here, and Tilis knows that better than most.
For now, though, the Panthers don't owe him a deal. They owe him one more evaluation season.
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