The conversations surrounding the Carolina Panthers and their underwhelming passing game continue to shift toward the need for change at the quarterback position.
Bryce Young had an unfortunate showing in the Panthers’ vexing Week 10 home loss against the New Orleans Saints. He was credited with another fumble lost (to be fair, it was a botched exchange with wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.) and threw an extremely untimely and unsightly interception. Some would pull the plug immediately and send Young to the bench. An ESPN analyst has presented his potential approach, with a greater focus on the future.
Carolina Panthers Linked To Veteran NFL Quarterback
In his weekly column for ESPN, NFL analyst Ben Solak addressed a fan submission that centered on being disappointed with Bryce Young and whether it’s time to move on.
Solak’s answer had multiple layers, but he began saying, “Carolina will almost certainly pursue a quarterback alternative this offseason. It probably won’t fully punt on Young, as he’s still on a cheap contract and not prohibitively bad at the position, as shown by the Panthers’ 5-5 record this season.”
The juicy portion of the response comes at the latter portion, where Solak suggests that current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones should be on the Panthers’ radar this offseason.
Solak writes, “You know who loves to funnel targets to a star No. 1 receiver and has the sort of pocket fearlessness that [Geno] Smith and [Baker] Mayfield both displayed? Mac Jones.”
Solak finishes his suggestion with a simple yet provocative final line, closing with, “He would be a good fit.”
I agree with the initial premise that Ben lays out. Even if the Carolina front office keeps full faith in Young as a part of their future, the roster needs a backup quarterback at the very least. If they’re wavering or looking for more confirmation either way, put the former No. 1 overall pick into direct competition and see if he can earn another shot at the starting gig.
Young could potentially be a candidate to have his fifth-year option picked up by the franchise, although it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them decline it as well, and let the rookie contract play out.
As for Jones’ potential ‘good fit’ with Panthers head coach Dave Canales’ offense? It checks out, in theory.
PFSN’s QBi Metric grades Mac Jones to an 80.4 score and No. 13 ranking. Bryce Young, on the other hand, carries a 62.8 score through the first ten weeks and ranks No. 32.
Jones excels at decisively distributing quick throws, averaging 2.48 seconds time-to-throw. Canales wants his QB to deliver to the first open read within 2.7 seconds.
Jones has thrived with play-action this season (three touchdowns and no interceptions) but has struggled on deep throws (20+ yards), although drops have played a role.
With his time in San Francisco now on tape, Jones has proven to be a good fit in the Shanahan offense, which, in principle, isn’t too distant from Canales’ offense.
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Mac Jones would still be under contract for the 2026 season with the 49ers, so that would be one obstacle to overcome, should the Panthers have any actual interest. However, the contract isn’t unreasonable to take on, provided the asking price isn’t excessive.