Fresh off a successful 2025 season in which they won the NFC South and made the playoffs, the attention will be on the Carolina Panthers. 

Rightfully so. 

They are a team that needs to take the next step and not only return to the playoffs but win a game. The knock on Carolina was that they won the weakest division in football and while they gave the Los Angeles Rams a run for their money in the first round of the playoffs, there are still concerns.

One player that will be under the microscope is quarterback Bryce Young. After a better season from him in 2025, there's still a lot of room for improvement and he needs to show that here in 2026.

If he doesn't, there will be some concerns on whether or not he's the guy at the position for the Panthers of the future. Legit questions about that will start early and often for him in the season. 

But as we get set for the rest of the offseason, one NFL reporter believes he needs to prove he deserves to be in Carolina. 

As I said above, Young will be under a microscope this season. He plays the most important position in all of football and is in charge of a Panthers team that is looking to get better.

While the Panthers already picked up his fifth-year option, it's now up to the former No. 1 overall pick to prove he's worth of a long-term extension as CBS Sports' Jared Dubin noted:

They brought in Chris Brazzell as another option at wide receiver. Carolina turned over the backup quarterback room, bringing in Kenny Pickett and Will Grier after the departure of Andy Dalton. Young already had his fifth-year option picked up, and needs to prove that season that he's worthy of a lucrative extension.

The main thing for Young is consistency. He's flashed the talent at times but it hasn't been as consistent as you'd hope for. The Panthers do have Young for a total of two more seasons at least.

But without significant improvement they might be looking for a new quarterback in charge. Let's hop that's not the case.