The Carolina Panthers drafted Bryce Young No. 1 overall in 2023, although some of those who staked their futures on Young are no longer in the building.
It can be hard to give up on an investment of that scale, and that could inform what the Panthers do after this season at the quarterback position.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell writes that it's most likely that they "acquire someone to compete with Young in training camp next summer."
On paper, that sounds a lot like what the Indianapolis Colts did in the 2025 offseason (which the Panthers would gladly take, given that Indy is atop the AFC right now).
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The Colts were a year ahead in the timeline of things relative to where the Panthers would be. They took Anthony Richardson three picks after Young in 2023.
But after two injury-filled, inconsistent seasons for Richardson, the Colts wanted a potential second option.
They signed Daniel Jones to a one-year contract in free agency, a chance at a potential reclamation project of a guy who was once a top-10 pick himself.
Jones won the job from Richardson in the summer and hasn't looked back, playing the best season of his career and captaining the highest scoring offense in the NFL.
Who could that guy be for the Panthers? A trade for Kyler Murray sounds like a major swing that might be too costly. Maybe they could go after Richardson himself, or Justin Fields.
On paper, none of it sounds ideal. But the Panthers aren't in an ideal spot. Their first overall pick from just a couple years ago might not be the franchise QB they were hoping for. And so they'll have to make it work with what they've got available and hope to strike gold like the Colts did.
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