In a new interview with The Athletic, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales held nothing back on Bryce Young.
Joseph Person of The Athletic sat down with Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales at the NFL annual meetings in Phoenix and several Bryce Young topics came up.
Young finished the 2025 season with 3,011 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 216 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He led the Panthers to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
"A big part of it is being able to operate at the line of scrimmage — not in the huddle — when we want to, and he’s certainly capable of that," Canales said about Young. "It’s not solely on him. It’s a group that’s pretty young. You have to trust all the guys to go up there, communicate verbally or nonverbally and execute what we’re doing. We’ve made huge strides in that regard. His ability to alter things based on what they’re giving you will give us another edge, which he’s continued to grow and had some great examples down the stretch where he identified things they were doing, got us to the right check and capitalized on some plays. Want to see him do that more when it’s appropriate. We don’t need to be changing things just to change it.
"And then for Bryce, it’s the identification of early on the cues that the defense are giving us, to be able to eliminate parts of your progression before the ball’s even snapped. That happens with time. I’ve seen quarterbacks really own and master, which allows them to play lightning fast."
Young is set to make $12.1 million next season in the fourth year of his rookie deal. His fifth-year option will be worth a guaranteed $25.9 million once exercised.
Young enters next season with 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in a Carolina uniform. He's 14-30-0 as a starter.
"Absolutely, I love that. First of all, I try to approach every season that way," Canales said. "We’ve just gotta continue to filter out the things that aren’t us, that don’t fit us, so we can have this really clear sense of, this is our offense. And while we have schemes and things we believe in, we should be able to hone the things that really fit us. That’s a back-and-forth conversation Bryce and I have. And also knowing that Dan’s done an incredible job of continuing to build talent around us. It’s my job, it’s Bryce’s job, it’s our job to make that come alive and utilize their talents."
The Panthers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 playoffs' wild-card round at home. Young played well in his playoff debut. The youngster had 264 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
"Based on our conversations, his excitement for what we have and where we are and the steps we were able to take last year," Canales said. "But also knowing that moments in different games, it wasn’t our best. Can we be at our best at all times?"
All signs point toward Young not getting an extension from the Panthers this offseason. He just hasn't been consistent enough to warrant big money.
However, if Young plays well next season, he could get paid in the offseason of 2027.
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