Dave Canales: Bryce Young is our franchise QB right now, contract is up to front office
Bryce Young is the Panthers’ franchise quarterback right now. Whether he will remain the Panthers’ franchise quarterback for years to come depends on whether he and the team agree to a long-term contract extension. So far, that hasn’t happened.
In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, Panthers head coach Dave Canales was asked this question about Young: “Is he your franchise quarterback?”
Canales answered, “He is right now.”
Canales then went on to praise the way Young has developed, from a first overall pick who looked like he was in over his head as a rookie in 2023, to a struggling quarterback who got benched two games into his second season in 2024, to a player who led his team to the playoffs in 2025.
“He’s our guy. He’s our guy, and I love the trajectory that he’s on,” Canales said of Young. “And not just the stuff that he’s growing in, from just an operational standpoint, moving the offense, finding chemistry and all that, but it’s also just the critical moments. It’s those games, it’s the close games, it’s the one-score game at the end. Whether we’re up or down, I love having Bryce out there. I love that he stays cool, calm and collected and aggressive, and he attacks at the right time. So, all those things are pointing in the right direction.”
So why is Young only the franchise quarterback “right now”? Why haven’t the Panthers committed to him with a long-term contract extension?
Canales isn’t the person to answer those questions. Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan and Executive VP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis will handle negotiations on a second contract for Young.
“I’ll just let the rest of the stuff just sort itself out, with all the conversations with his whole group and party and our front office here with Dan and Brandt working that part out,” Canales said. “But for me, especially now not calling plays, I get to just enjoy this road, help him improve on a daily basis.”
The Panthers picked up Young’s fifth-year option, which means he is under contract through 2027, with a guaranteed salary of $25.9 million next season. But a true commitment to Young from the Panthers would mean a second contract guaranteeing him a lot more than $25.9 million, for a lot longer than the next two years. Right now, Young doesn’t have that.