The Carolina Panthers have added an NFL champion.
The Carolina Panthers have added a Super Bowl champion to the roster.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Panthers have signed QB Kenny Pickett.
Pickett will be Bryce Young's backup. His arrival means the Panthers will trade or release Andy Dalton soon.
Pickett has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders. He has 4,953 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his career.
The Eagles won Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pickett was on Philadelphia, serving as Jalen Hurts' backup.
Since Young runs the ball quite often for a QB, he's at risk of getting hurt, which is why the Panthers wanted to address their No. 2 QB spot this offseason. At this stage of their careers, Pickett is better than Dalton.
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.
The Panthers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the 2026 playoffs. Young played well in his playoff debut. The youngster had 264 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
Young was the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in a Carolina uniform.
Young and Panthers head coach Dave Canales have come a long way from 2024, when Young was benched for Dalton. The two are now connected at the hip and in charge of leading the Panthers to the promised land one day.
"There was an emotional strain. I could feel that," Canales said of his relationship with Young. "I know because it was a hard decision. I know Bryce could feel that because of how this impacted him directly, and everybody else can feel it. It's like, ‘Oh, this seems like a big deal.’ But it's like, ‘OK, this is the decision that was made. But how do we get better today?’ And so there's, like, a daily focus on improvement. Bryce is wired that way.
"He never wavered on that part, so that when his opportunity came back, he was that much better."
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