The Carolina Panthers have been linked to a quarterback who was once a top NFL Draft pick.
Bryce Young showed enough in 2025 to establish himself as the Carolina Panthers' sure-fire starting quarterback for next season, but questions still persist about his long-term future with the club.
While Young will be under center in Week 1 next September, we don't know for certain that he is the Panthers' franchise quarterback, which is why he still needs to play with a chip on his shoulder.
That's especially considering he was benched in favor of Andy Dalton early on in 2024, and there was even speculation that he was going to get benched again during the early stages of this past season.
Dalton will probably be a goner this spring, which means that Carolina will have to search for a new signal-caller to put some pressure on Young.
Joseph Person of The Athletic rattled off some potential options for the Panthers in free agency, and one of them was former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance.
Trey Lance. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images.Lance was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2021 and began his career behind Jimmy Garoppolo, but was named the starter entering Year 2.
However, Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury two games into his sophomore campaign, which essentially put the kibosh on his chances of becoming the 49ers' quarterback thanks to the rise of Brock Purdy.
Lance served as Purdy's backup in 2023 and had since played for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Chargers. Over the last two years, he has 52-for-98 with 492 yards and a couple of interceptions.
The North Dakota State product is almost surely never going to come close to living up to his initial expectations, but perhaps he could develop into a decent backup somewhere. He's still jus 25 years old, after all.
Lance would definitely be an interesting fit in Carolina. He hasn't shown enough to genuinely threaten Young in training camp, but he is intriguing enough to potentially take the starting job midseason if Young struggles.
The Marshall, Mn. native surely won't command a hefty contract on the open market, so the Panthers may be able to nab him on the cheap next month.
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