Exploring Panthers’ 2025 QB Options

Cam Newton’s last full campaign as the Panthers’ starting quarterback came in 2017. Since that time, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater and P.J. Walker have seen sparse time at the helm of the team’s offense.

The same is also true of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, both of whom were acquired with the potential to serve as a long-term Newton successor. The latter has since found success in Tampa Bay, while the former could set himself up for a strong free agent market after his Minnesota campaign. Bryce Young was acquired as Carolina aimed to end the QB carousel, paying a massive price in the process. To date, that move has backfired.

The 2023 first overall pick has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. First-year head coach Dave Canales offered support of Young in the wake of the team’s Week 2 loss, Carolina’s latest underwhelming offensive outing. One day later, though, a review of the game in addition with conversations with other members of the organization resulted in Young’s benching. No timeline for a reversal of the depth chart is in place, but the 23-year-old may see the field again in 2024.

Young did not expect to be benched, and the former Heisman winner is reportedly open to anything with respect to his future. That could include a trade sending him to a new team. The Panthers are not currently willing to take that route, although to little surprise teams have begun to show interest. Any swap would yield a return nowhere near the price paid to acquire Young (two first-round picks, two second-rounders and receiver D.J. Moore).

While the Alabama product will likely remain in place through the remainder of the season (and quite possibly beyond that point), the Panthers will no doubt bring in competition for the starter’s role this spring. A number of veterans are projected to be available, and a high draft pick for April’s draft is a distinct possibility as things stand. The team should therefore have a number of options to choose from.

Free agents:

Dalton joined the Panthers on a two-year deal last offseason, and he now has the opportunity to boost his value with an extended look atop the depth chart. The 36-year-old’s tenure as the Bengals’ starter ended in 2019, and he followed that up with single campaigns in Dallas, Chicago and New Orleans. He made nine starts in place of an injured Dak Prescott in 2020, and similarly filled in for Jameis Winston midway through the 2022 campaign. Even when Winston was healthy, though, the Saints stuck with Dalton to close out the season.

After only making one start in 2023, Dalton now finds himself in position to stabilize Carolina’s offense as he did with New Orleans two years ago. Succeeding in that respect could result in a new Panthers accord or increased interest on the open market in March. Canales’ head coaching stock was built on his work with other veteran passers, and it will be interesting to see how he fares with Dalton over the coming weeks after he was primarily brought in to develop Young.

Darnold was acquired via trade in 2021 after he failed to establish himself as a long-term answer under center with the Jets. The former No. 3 pick started all but one of his 18 Panthers games, taking over from Mayfield to finish the 2022 slate after he was granted his request to be released. Darnold, 27, spent last season in a developmental capacity with the 49ers and took a one-year Vikings contract to operate as a bridge starter.

First-round rookie J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending knee injury has left Darnold without competition for 2024, though. An impressive season in Minnesota would make the USC product one of the top signal-callers available in March and give the Panthers a number of other suitors to bid against if a reunion were to be considered. A different regime is in place compared to the one which originally brought him to Charlotte, and a repeat of that endeavor from Canales and new GM Dan Morgan in 2025 would make for an intriguing storyline.

The underwhelming 2021 QB class figures to offer a number of buy-low options. Top pick Trevor Lawrence is attached to a long-term Jags extension, but the passers selected second (Zach Wilson), third (Trey Lance) and 15th (Mac Jones) that year are all on their second NFL teams. No member of that trio is in a starting position at the moment, and a path to signficant playing time down the road does not exist. A prove-it contract with the Panthers could offer another change of scenery and the chance to at least compete for the QB1 gig with Young, provided he does remain in the team’s plans.

Justin Fields is another 2021 draftee whose career has not gone as planned. He has started three straight games with the Steelers to begin the campaign, though, and he could play his way into a Pittsburgh contract keeping him in place for years to come. The same could be true for veteran Russell Wilson, signed shortly after his Broncos release to operate as the Steelers’ starter. Plenty is yet to be determined regarding Pittsburgh’s quarterback outlook, but it would come as a surprise if both Wilson and Fields were to be retained. At least one could therefore be available for Carolina in the spring.

Drew Lock took a one-year deal to serve as the Giants’ backup, although struggles on the part of Daniel Jones could allow him to see the field in 2024. Lock underwhelmed during his time in Denver, and Geno Smith’s recent Seattle success prevented him from seeing a run of first-team action. Carolina could offer him a new chance for a QB1 gig; at a minimum, a Panthers deal would mark a reunion between Lock and Canales after their single season together with the Seahawks.

Like every year, 2025 is projected to have a number of veteran journeymen on the market. The likes of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett will be an option if the Panthers elect to add a stopgap under center. Such a move would no doubt be accompanied by once again adding a rookie viewed as having the upside to serve as a franchise signal-caller.

Draft prospects:

ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates do not have a quarterback listed among their consensus top 10 prospects as things currently stand. Plenty can and will change over the next several months, but the upcoming QB class was seen as being inferior to its 2024 counterpart during the build-up to April’s draft. A clear-cut leader at the position is not in place, but a shortlist of candidates exist to hear their names called on Day 1.

Georgia’s Carson Beck is seen by many analysts as the top passer who will be on the board next spring. A two-time national champion with the Bulldogs, Beck had his first full-time campaign in 2023 and led the country in passing yards while amassing a 24:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. A strong campaign (which could very well include another national title run) would cement the redshirt senior’s status as a candidate for the title of top QB prospect.

Quinn Ewers has had a successful college tenure since transferring from Ohio State. His production jumped from 2021 to ’22 with Texas, helping guide the team to the CFB playoffs last year. Expectations are high for the Longhorns in general and Ewers in particular for 2024, and another deep postseason run would boost his draft stock.

Miami’s Cam Ward entered the year as a strong Heisman contender, and his play so far in 2024 has not disappointed. The senior scored 61 total touchdowns during his time at Washington State; he is expected to deliver major production once again upon taking charge of the Hurricanes’ offense. Ward could ascend to the QB1 spot if he were to continue his impressive start to the campaign.

The main wild-card in the class is Shedeur Sanders. The son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders – something which is being taken into account by NFL teams – is in his second season with Colorado. Sanders topped 3,200 yards and threw 27 touchdowns (against just three interceptions) last year, and a healthy Travis Hunter could yield similar production. Seen by some as the top signal-caller in the class and a Day 2 pick by others, Sanders’ consistency will be a key element of his development and thus his draft stock.

Young’s successor at Alabama (Jalen Milroe) is another option the Panthers could consider. Milroe finished sixth in Heisman voting last year, one in which he led the Crimson Tide to the CFP semifinals. His 531 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground from 2023 demonstrate his dual-threat ability and a skillset which separates him from the other top passers. Milroe has ground to make up on his classmates based on early rankings, though.

Whether or not Young remains in Carolina ahead of the 2025 campaign, the quarterback position will no doubt be an area of focus during the offseason. How the team proceeds (regardless of if a veteran or a rookie is targeted) will be a central storyline affecting both the short- and long-term future.