The Carolina Panthers effectively ended the Bryce Young era after Week 2 by announcing he would be benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. Just two years after being the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young now enters a situation with an uncertain future and a desperate need for a change of scenery.
In hindsight, drafting the undersized quarterback with average physical tools but great makeup was an awful decision and the Panthers organization only made it worse. Young will likely never reach the heights of even being a high-end starter, but a change of scenery might revitalize his career moving forward. With that in mind, let’s examine some potential trade landing spots.
Miami Dolphins
It’s been made clear that Tua Tagovailoa wants to continue his NFL career, but the Miami Dolphins might not feel quite as comfortable long-term. The Pro Bowl quarterback already suffered four documented concussions and suffered other significant blows to the head. If he suffers another brain injury, he could medically retire and walk away with $120 million in injury guarantees.
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- Bryce Young contract (Spotrac): $8.626 million cap hit in 2024, $10.251 million cap hit in 2025, $12.076 million cap hit in 2026
All of this is to say it would be wise for Miami to have a long-term insurance plan and one that would be relatively cheap. While Young’s contract isn’t a bargain-bin price, it’s a reasonable deal for a good backup with upside. Young could sit and learn Mike McDaniel’s system, with the Dolphins’ head coach restoring Young’s confidence just as he did for Taogvailoa. If Miami’s star quarterback goes down again and walks away from the game, Young could be the ideal plug-and-play for McDaniel.
Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew is obviously not the long-term answer for the Las Vegas Raiders and Aidan O’Connell losing the QB competition means he isn’t the guy either. Las Vegas likes taking chances on guys and Young wouldn’t be immediately pressured to play right away. If the Raiders were able to acquire him, likely for a future mid-round pick, Young could likely overtake O’Connell for the backup job within a couple of weeks. Then, when Minshew struggles, Young could get a fresh look and be part of an offense with two outstanding weapons (Davante Adams and Brock Bowers), who can be a young quarterback’s best friend. It would be a low-cost move for Las Vegas with a moderate upside.
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Los Angeles Rams
Just give Sean McVay a reclamation project and let him go to work. The Los Angeles Rams are arguably the perfect landing spot for the former No. 1 overall pick. He would spend the 2024 season learning from Matthew Stafford, a former first overall pick who went through his own struggles. McVay, like McDaniel, offers a quarterback-friendly system and he’s the type of leader who can help build a young player’s confidence back up.
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Los Angeles could even send Jimmy Garoppolo to the Carolina Panthers, giving them another option besides Andy Dalton. Stafford would be the Rams quarterback in 2024 and 2025 if he stays healthy. If not Young could be ready to step in or Los Angeles could give him another year to really develop and grow behind the scenes before becoming the Rams starting quarterback in 2026. Los Angeles would have the option to exercise his team option for 2027, but that seems unlikely.
Tennessee Titans
It only took two games for it to become evident that first-year head coach Brian Callahan isn’t the biggest fan of Will Levis. The reasoning is obvious, Levis’ baffling decision-making has already cost the Tennessee Titans two wins this year and he seemingly hasn’t learned from his mistakes. Unfortunately for Tennessee, Mason Rudolph isn’t a viable option to start either.
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Young could immediately come in as the third-string quarterback, getting a month-plus to learn the system. With Tennessee realistically not in playoff contention this season, they can afford to be patient. If Callahan can help restore Young’s confidence, the Titans can give the second-year quarterback 4-6 games at the end of the season to prove himself. Behind a young offensive line with Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins at receiver, Young would have a vastly better supporting cast than he ever did in Carolina.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns already know Deshaun Watson isn’t the guy they can rely on moving forward. He’s shown zero improvement during his three-year tenure in Cleveland and his backups have consistently outperformed him in the exact same environment. Unfortunately for the Browns’ front office, Watson’s $70-plus million cap hits in the years to come make finding his replacement a huge problem.
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Young is one of the most financially-affordable options who still offers the upside to be a league-average starter or slightly better. Plus, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has consistently proven he will tweak his offense to his quarterback’s skills and do whatever he can to help them. Young needs that positive environment and the Browns’ receiving corps makes this an even better fit. Plus, if it did work out for Young in Cleveland, Browns fans would finally have a starting QB they can feel good about supporting.