Bryce Young Praised by HC Canales, Teammates amid Panthers Contract Rumors After Loss to Rams

As he heads into the final guaranteed year of his rookie contract, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young made an affirmative argument for himself in a losing effort to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.

Young went 21-of-40 for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 34-31 NFC Wild Card Round loss. He connected with wide receiver Jalen Coker for the go-ahead score with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter, but Carolina's four-point lead didn't hold.

▶️ Full Rams-Panthers Recap

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Head coach Dave Canales called his quarterback "gritty" and "tough."

"This is a really good pass-rushing group, and he made plays," the coach said, per Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site. "He extended the play, found guys down the field consistently, and ran a touchdown in from a little bit further out. And of course, he'd be up here, and he'll tell you he would love to have that interception back, and that's a part of this game that he understands is in his control.

"But at the same time, to give us a chance to take the ball all the way down after the punt, a couple of plays, and then punch it in with the beautiful throw right there to Coker at the end to take the lead was unbelievable. I just can't say enough about the way Bryce stepped up and played in this game."

The praise toward Young extended to his teammates.

Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson described him as a "silent killer" who ignores all of the outside criticism.

Defensive end Derrick Brown added he has witnessed a lot of maturity and poise from the 2023 No. 1 overall pick.

"Man, Bryce has had a damn good year," he said. "So many people rag on him, and s--t, if it was easy, everybody would play quarterback in the league, but that ain't quite the case.

"So man, I'm just proud of him and his growth throughout the year, standing tall in front of the team, no matter if it was when we got beat in New England, coming to the locker room, we got something to say. I mean, we get it every single week."

Safety Nick Scott struck the same tone.

"We go as Bryce goes; he's the heartbeat of this team, man," Scott said. "He's a tremendous leader. He's got a lot of grit. Everything that coach Canales is, that he's preaching and trying to turn his team into, Bryce is always exemplifying that, and always has, man."

Young counts for $12.1 million in 2026 and will have a club option for 2027.

In a way, this season was the worst possible outcome for gauging his value moving forward.

Be it positively or negatively, the 24-year-old's performance didn't give the Panthers as a straightforward choice as to his future. He threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.6 percent of his passes in 16 starts.

Carolina also won the NFC South but finished with a losing record (8-9), making it more difficult to determine whether Young is a suitable QB for a contending team.

It's safe to assume the Panthers will stick with Young for at least one more year, and picking up his 2027 option before the May 1 deadline is a safe hedge.

Signing Young to a big extension would be too much of a risk right now, though. Canales and general manager Dan Morgan will hope they get a little more clarity on his viability based on his 2026 returns.