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Panthers pick up the fifth-year option on quarterback Bryce Young's contract

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CHARLOTTE — The decision was easy and made months ago. The paperwork was filed on Wednesday.

The Panthers did the expected thing and exercised the fifth-year option on quarterback Bryce Young's rookie contract, which will keep him here through the 2027 season.

Young's coming off a career season, setting new highs in everything from passing yards (3,011), touchdowns (23), completion percentage (63.6), to passer rating (87.8).

He also had six of his 12 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime last year, and that 12 remains the most of any quarterback in the league since 2023, when he entered the league.

He showed that late-game proficiency in a number of ways. In one-score games, his 101.2 passer rating was third in the league, trailing just a couple of guys named Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. His 3.8 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the second half of games was in the top five of the league, and he led the league in passing yards on fourth downs (285).

And since going for fourth downs (their 27 conversions led the league) is such a big part of their offensive philosophy, that's a good thing to be good at.

Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers participate in voluntary workouts on Tuesday, Apr 28, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

The first overall pick in the 2023 draft, he's now under contract for the next two seasons, at a time when they're developing the passing game around a young receiving corps and with a rejuvenated offensive line.

He'll have offensive rookie of the year Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker out there along with Xavier Legette third-round pick Chris Brazzell II, and a cast of young options including John Metchie III, Jimmy Horn Jr., Brycen Tremayne and others under the watchful eye of David Moore.

They also added a pair of left tackles to cover for the injury absence of Ikem Ekwonu, signing former Packers starter Rasheed Walker in free agency and using their first-round pick on Monroe Freeling.

Take a look at some of the best shots of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

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