Dave Canales has made it clear where he stands on Bryce Young. The Carolina Panthers head coach views his fourth-year quarterback as the long-term answer under center, even as the front office keeps any extended contract conversation firmly off the table for now.
Asked about Young’s status as Carolina’s franchise quarterback during an interview with ESPN’s Steven A. Smith, Canales said that Young “is right now.”
He added, “He’s our guy. He’s our guy, and I love the trajectory that he’s on. 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.”
Canales Endorses QB1, But Front Office Will Wait on Contract Extension
The belief in Young isn’t coming from nowhere. He set career highs across every major passing category in 2025 and helped the Panthers snap a seven-year playoff drought with an NFC South title, according to The Athletic. That’s the kind of jump that turns a former No. 1 pick who once looked like he might not survive his coaching change into a guy the organization is now building around.
While executive vice president of football operations, Brandt Tilis, said that he won’t currently discuss a possible extension with Young, he expressed confidence in the former Heisman Trophy winner.
“I would say he ascended last year and there’s still room for him to ascend,” said Tilis. “His ceiling currently is unknown, and I think that’s exciting for us. And he’s working hard to get himself there.”
Did the Panthers put enough talent around Young?
“The team is better. The coaches are good, and Bryce is putting in the work, too. So it’s all there. We’ll just see how the year plays out,” Tilis said. “I think we’re all really excited for what Bryce is gonna show and how the team’s gonna be.”
For his part, Canales is firmly in Young’s corner entering the 2026 season.
“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.”
It’s not ideal that Young will start the season without both starting tackles. Ikem Ekwonu is still working back from injury, alongside Taylor Moton‘s departure after blood clots were discovered in his lung.
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