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Carolina Panthers officially pick up fifth-year option for quarterback Bryce Young

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp04/29/26

Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has officially had his fifth-year option picked up by the Panthers, according to a report from The State. Carolina had previously announced it intended to make that move.

The deadline to pick up fifth-year options for 2022 first-round picks is on Friday. So Carolina gets ahead of things just a touch by announcing the move today.

For Bryce Young, it will mean that he will be under contact with the Panthers through at least the 2027 season. He is coming off a career year, guiding Carolina to the NFC South title and a spot in the NFL playoffs.

Young threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns against 11 interceptions during the 2025 campaign. He also rushed for 216 yards and two scores.

After a shaky start to his career with the Panthers, things certainly seem to be on the upswing for Bryce Young. After the team went 2-15 in his first season at the helm in 2023, it went 5-12 in 2024 and then 8-9 in 2025.

The Panthers also went with a healthy dose of offensive players in the recent NFL Draft to aid Young. The first round pick was offensive tackle Monroe Freeling out of Georgia. Carolina added another offensive lineman in Kansas State center Sam Hecht in the fifth round. And Young also got a weapon in the passing game, with a third-round selection of Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell II, a dynamic downfield option.

All of that should equate to continued progress for Bryce Young. The Panthers have been just patient enough to allow him to demonstrate some real growth in the last three years, though at times it looked like the franchise might be losing faith.

Young, of course, was taken as the No. 1 overall pick by the franchise in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hailing from Alabama, he was the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and a 2020 national champion.

The 5-foot-10, 204-pound quarterback was a consensus All-American in 2021 and a first-team All-SEC selection that year. He was a second-team All-SEC pick in 2022.