The Carolina Panthers reached the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2017 during the 2025 season, with quarterback Bryce Young solidifying his role as the team’s centerpiece. However, this promising direction seemed unlikely earlier in the 2024 season. Only two games into his sophomore year after being the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young, then holding a 2-16 record as a starter, was benched by new head coach Dave Canales in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.
This decision marked a difficult turning point for Young, whose promising trajectory was suddenly halted. During a recent discussion on The Pivot podcast, the former Alabama All-American and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner revealed how he grappled with the shock of his benching.
Bryce Young’s Emotional Response to Being Benched
Reflecting on the moment when he learned he would be replaced, Young shared the unfamiliar emotional challenge he experienced. He described it as a place he had never encountered before, unexpected and hard to process immediately. To cope, Young recounts driving aimlessly to clear his mind, unwilling to return home right away, and setting a distant destination on his GPS simply to find some clarity in the midst of confusion.
He explained,
“That was a place I’d never been at before,”
Bryce Young said.
“Obviously, not something that I was, you know, you’re expecting. You never think things could go that way, turn out that way. So in the moment, obviously, it was a lot. It was hard. It was really difficult at that time. Obviously, you’re working through the emotions in real time.”
During this trying period, Young made a conscious effort to maintain his character and remain a dependable teammate despite the setback.
“And as I was driving, trying to, like, clear my mind. I made a conscious decision to challenge myself to be as consistent as I could be during that time and to grow from it. And that was hard. Like, I had a lot of, you know, I’m human. I was upset. I was confused. I was mad at myself, mad at others, like whatever. I had those emotions. And at that time, I’m like, one, I want to challenge myself to be the same person. Like, I don’t want this to change my personality. I don’t want to show up to work with bad energy. I don’t want to be a bad teammate. I’m going to be very conscious to be the same person.”
Expectations vs. Reality: Adapting to the Setback
Young acknowledged that while he was familiar with the high expectations that come as a first overall NFL Draft pick, the experience of being benched was something entirely new and humbling. Throughout his football career, he had learned to absorb external pressures by focusing on tangible goals and internal team expectations rather than public opinion or criticism.
“I wasn’t really a stranger to expectations,”
Young said.
“It’s something I’ve always embraced, and I think I’ve been able to do that just by trying to reach on to what’s tangible. Like for me, what people expect, what people think on the outside, you know, I’m a sports fans, too. You know, I’ve been a sports fan. I’m grateful that everyone has an opinion and everyone has projections because that’s what fuels the sport. You know, that’s what keeps it going. But also, that doesn’t affect me. It’s not going to be the reason, good or bad, something happens. So with expectations, I’ve always been able to keep it in the building. And I’ve always been able: All right, what does my teammate expect from me? What does my coach expect from me? And I’ve had a lot of experience with that.”
“But, yeah, being benched, again, I had no experience with that, so it was a, yeah, definitely humbling experience.”
Faith and Growth Amid Career Challenges
Despite the hardship of his benching, Young viewed the situation as a profound personal and spiritual opportunity. His faith played a significant role in how he processed this challenge and led him to see the event as a necessary part of his growth. He noted how this experience strengthened his spiritual walk, which he described as a blessing in disguise.
“Faith-wise, it was really big for me,”
Young said.
“I’ve always been a believer. I’ve always had faith. I’ve always had a, you know, walk with God. But I think that it was a blessing to be able to have to experience it. I’ve had a lot of, as far as football goes, I’ve been very blessed career-wise up until, you know, at that point it was, like, it was kind of all positive. And then, you know, it took a quick turn.”
“And I’d always, you know, I trust in God. I believe whatever it is, I always give it up to him. But that was one of the first times in a professional sense that I had no choice. I think that wasn’t an accident. Like, I think God put me there to know that, you know, the faith is real, for me to strengthen my faith, really, for me to be able to experience God in a different way. I am super grateful for that.”
Return to the Field and Team Resilience
After five games with Andy Dalton at the helm, the Panthers reinstated Young as the starting quarterback following an unfortunate thumb injury Dalton suffered in a traffic accident. Young’s performance improved steadily throughout the remainder of the season, highlighted by six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, which helped restore confidence in his leadership for 2025.
Carolina’s general manager Dan Morgan announced plans to exercise the $26.53 million contract option to retain Young for the 2027 season, reflecting trust in the young quarterback’s development. The Panthers’ 2025 campaign ended with a narrow 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC playoffs, decided by a touchdown in the final 38 seconds.
Young’s Determination and Team Commitment Moving Forward
Young expressed excitement about the team’s overall progress and the young talent stepping up in crucial moments, underscoring a strong sense of unity and hunger within the locker room. He emphasized the team’s refusal to accept playoff qualification as an endpoint, highlighting their ambition to push further.
“I’m excited for our trajectory,”
Young said.
“I’m excited for where we’re going. But also I feel like for me, for all of us, it was, like, reassuring to be able to get to the playoffs. You know, I’ve been able to experience that. And again, young team and for all of us, we had a lot of young guys that game step up. Like, to have a moment like that game, a lot of young guys stepped up — and not just young guys, but a lot of guys for us as a franchise, as a building. You know, not a ton of experience in that moment and you wouldn’t tell by how people played.”
“And for me, that just motivates me even more to just, you know, I got to be my brother’s keeper. We all in that moment, you know, we didn’t flinch. We all wanted more. No one came back to the locker room like, ‘Well, like, you know no one thought we’d make the playoffs. Like, it’s a win.’ Everyone’s heated. Everyone’s pissed.”
