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Week 8 had to show a pulse. Week 9 had to offer improvements.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young checked both boxes with their 23-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Now the franchise has to process what that means for Young’s future ahead of the NFL trade deadline, which is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
As of late last week, the Panthers were not actively shopping Young. However, like a considerable portion of the workforce, they had also not declared it off-limits, at least opening the opportunity for potential business partners to make an offer.
The challenge for the Panthers now is to evaluate Young’s small window of progress shown in Week 9 against the Saints and project it forward. Clearly, Young seemed more confident in his second game since being benched following a tough Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. But Panthers head coach Dave Canales remained tempered by the outcome, describing Young’s performance as “solid” and declining to say whether Young would be the team’s Week 10 starter in Munich, Germany, against the New York Giants.
“He stood out in some critical moments and gave us a chance a couple of times,” Canales said. “Just proud of the step he took again, taking on all the things we asked him to do, getting us to the right plays at the right time. So, a big step.”
It seemed like Canales was a bit too reserved in his comments about Young’s performance, offering a sort of “we’ll see” and “let me watch the tape” vibe that only underscores his commercial availability. Head coaches rarely miss the opportunity to talk excessively about a young quarterback in a press conference after a win, unless the situation calls for measurement or the staff is still not sold on the player. In this case with Young, it could be a little of both.
I think the Panthers are keeping the door slightly ajar on Young’s availability before Tuesday’s deadline, followed by a potential offseason trade situation. It’s hard to see it any other way after Canales benched him after two games and then responded so adamantly when Young showed progress in consecutive weeks.
What’s happening now is two-pronged: The Panthers will wait and see if a team calls with an offer that forces the franchise to consider trading Young now, and if that doesn’t happen, they’ll have to earn the staff’s trust ahead of time. at the end of the season, or end up being actively purchased.
The offseason will be a conversation for a different day, if that’s what happens. But the trade deadline is something we can talk about right now. The quarterback class in the 2025 NFL Draft isn’t exactly good, and a litany of NFL teams thought Young had the makings of a franchise QB heading into the 2023 draft. Those draft evaluations still are available, and the emergence of other former Panthers quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold is only helping to keep Young’s viability alive in other corners of the league.
So who should call the Panthers on Monday and Tuesday? Here is the short list:
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are ready at quarterback and just fired their QB coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. But they also arrive a year late to try to solve the problem with a class full of talent. The time to land their franchise quarterback was last spring, but they held firm on the 13th overall pick, allowing the top six players at the position to be selected ahead of them. Now they’re looking ahead to a 2025 class that lacks top-tier talent and overall depth at the position. If Young had been available in the 2024 draft instead of 2023, the general consensus I have is that he probably would have gone fourth overall, behind Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, but ahead of Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. That seems like a much better option than a weak 2025 class, or struggling next season with no resolution at the position and hoping for something better in the 2026 draft.
Switch to Young and start him as soon as you’re ready.
Tennessee Titans
I think Will Levis will get another chance to continue being the Titans’ starting quarterback this season. Probably soon. But I don’t think the Titans should overlook an alternate plan in the meantime, even if they remain in the mix for a top-five pick for the rest of the season (which is likely). After being coached by Nick Saban at Alabama, Young has the mental toughness to work with Titans head coach Brian Callahan. And resolving another option at QB at the trade deadline would open up Tennessee’s options to use its first-round pick where it’s needed most: the offensive line…again.
Trade for Young, sit him out the rest of the season, and declare 2025 an open QB competition.
cleveland browns
There has to be some kind of viable alternative to Deshaun Watson. General manager Andrew Berry loves value purchases. I don’t see this connection happening due to the salary cap realities of Watson’s contract and ownership. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
New York Jets
Given that there is a possibility of a complete sweep of the organization next offseason, especially if the Jets go down from here, it’s hard to see more purchases being made at the trade deadline. This is more of a franchise that I would point towards an off-season acquisition of Young rather than in-season. They have no plan at quarterback other than Rodgers. That needs to change regardless of how this season ends.
Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith has one more year left on his contract. I don’t think Seattle would be willing to do an extension with him unless he can get favorable salary terms, and even then, they could still choose to move on. Sam Howell has a contract until 2025 and is a viable alternative to Smith. It shouldn’t be the only alternative. Like the Jets, I think this would be more of an offseason pursuit than a deadline pursuit.
Los Angeles Rams
There is no viable long-term plan behind Matthew Stafford. Young has the football IQ to handle Sean McVay’s offense and the skills to thrive in it. As for having the mental toughness to live up to McVay’s expectations, I’ll again invoke Young’s years with Saban.
New York Giants
Daniel Jones is what he is. You’ll have games that give Giants fans hope that a corner will be turned, then you’ll have games that make it seem like there is no corner, just a straight, endless path of frustration that doesn’t seem to have a beginning or an end. At some point, the franchise has to give itself another option. I still believe Brian Daboll is one of the best coaches in the league at working with young quarterbacks. His reputation is certainly bruised in that regard given the Giants’ struggles, but so is Young’s. I think it’s a couple that could help save each other’s careers.
For now, this is a snapshot of Young’s market. If it lasts past Tuesday’s trade deadline — which still seems the most likely scenario — that group could shrink or expand. It could also turn into a trade conversation that ends with little more than a waste of breath if Young can take advantage of the final two weeks and continue to grow into the starting job. Of course, to do that, Young has to know if he’ll even start in Week 10. And for now, it doesn’t look like the Panthers’ staff is willing to make that commitment.