In the three years since he joined the NFL, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has had his ups and downs, but also shown all the traits of a budding franchise quarterback. Those three years haven’t been enough to solidify the future for the former Heisman winner, though. But 2026 could be the season he finally earns that title.

When Stephen A. Smith recently asked Coach Canales on his show whether Young’s Carolina’s franchise QB, Canales offered a measured response – “He is right now.” But even with that ambiguous answer, Canales sees potential.

“He’s our guy,” Canales told Smith. “He’s our guy, and I love the trajectory 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.”

Despite this positive outlook, the reason Canales isn’t calling Bryce Young the future of the franchise is simple: it’s not really his call to make. It all depends on how Bryce’s negotiations with the front office pan out. And the ones who will make that call are General Manager Dan Morgan and Executive VP of Football Operations Brandt Tilis.

“I’ll just let the rest of the stuff just sort itself out,” Canales went on, “with all the conversations with his whole group and party and our front office here with Dan and Brandt working that part out. But for me, especially now not calling plays, I get to just enjoy this road, help him improve on a daily basis.”

Now, Young’s career trajectory since he became the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 has been one to watch. With a 2-14 record through 16 games in his rookie season, Young looked like he was out of his element, trying to catch up to NFL speed. Getting sacked a whopping 62 times in a season also gave the Panthers something to think about, but the Panthers still believed in him in year 2.

But in 2024, Young got benched after losing the first two games (by a combined 60 points), and wouldn’t suit up again until Week 8 – only after Andy Dalton injured his thumb and couldn’t play. Young rose to the occasion, but only got 4 wins, finishing with a 4-8 record. Still, the Panthers had seen the growth firsthand in just a year, and Canales made it known long before the next season arrived that Young would be his QB1. And then, 2025 was a revelation and a half.

In just 16 games, Young went 8-8, threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns – personal NFL bests across the board. He even broke Cam Newton’s single-game record of passing yards by throwing for 448 yards in a Week 11 overtime win. He helped the Panthers win the NFC South for the first time in a decade, and took them to the playoffs. That’s steady, unmistakable growth; but the Panthers haven’t seen enough yet.

This is the same quarterback the Panthers gave up four draft picks (two first-rounders) and wide receiver DJ Moore to land first overall. That’s not an investment you can just walk away from. That’s why, in April this year, they exercised the 5th-year option on his rookie contract instead of handing him a long-term extension. With this, he’s set to make $25.9 million in 2027 under the club option, but for all intents and purposes, this is a waiting game now. Tilis has already fielded these questions earlier this August. When asked about locking him in for the future, Tilis had this to say:

“I would say he ascended last year and there is still room for him to ascend. His ceiling is currently unknown, and I think that is exciting for us. He’s working hard to get himself there.

Tilis is the same mastermind who handed Patrick Mahomes his 10-year, $477 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2020. So, if he says the team’s still in evaluation mode, we can safely take that at face value. With the regular season just about two weeks away now, the stage is set for Bryce Young to earn that franchise quarterback title, as well as the big money that comes with it. But what would be the number?

Per Spotrac, Young’s current market value stands at a 3-year, $111.48M deal, giving him an AAV of $37.16M. Many argue that the deal should actually cross $40million a year and span over at least 5-6 years. But the market never settles. Each new extension pushed the ceiling higher. For Bryce Young, what would matter most is how well he plays this season, and whether he can prove that last season’s fireworks weren’t a flash in the pan. He is the franchise quarterback – at least for now. The rest rides on his right arm.