Part of the reason the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been able to dominate the NFC South in the Baker Mayfield era has been the rest of the division's incompetence. The Carolina Panthers floundered under the leadership of Bryce Young in the last two seasons, though things have turned around in 2025.
Carolina is providing a worthy challenge to Tampa Bay, and Young is playing the best ball of his career. However, the Panthers' front office might be so entranced by this season that they make a move that will all but assuredly end in disaster for the Bucs' divisional rival.
According to Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Panthers are widely expected to pick up the fifth-year option on Young's contract, seemingly hinting they plan to give him a look as their possible long-term quarterback of the future.
The Bucs fanbase would likely be thrilled if this move came to fruition, as it would ensure that Carolina has a very hard cap on its ceiling entering the 2026 season. Leaning into Young as an unquestioned starter for two more seasons could prove to be nothing short of draining.
Bucs fans must hope Panthers pick up fifth-year option for Bryce Young
While Young is leaps and bounds better than he was during a brutal rookie season that led to an early benching in Year 2, that doesn't mean that he is necessarily going to be a quarterback that Carolina can count on to elevate themselves to a consistent postseason threat.
After last week against the Los Angeles Rams, Young now has just six career games with more than 7.5 yards per attempt, which is as many as Zach Wilson and fewer than Drew Lock. His playmaking gifts can't overrule the fact that he is still incapable of stringing together multiple high-end performances in a row.
The Panthers have struggled to build a winner in the last few years, when Young was on his rookie deal. If they pay him a high-end quarterback contract, which he may ask for if his option gets picked up, Carolina's ability to surround him with top talent may be even more difficult due to their limited financial flexibility.
Sustained success is as much about rivals messing up as it is any one team performing well, and the Bucs may benefit from the Panthers overcommitting to Young and possibly condeming their franchise to some painfully average seasons.