On March 10, 2023, the Chicago Bears agreed to trade the No. 1 overall pick in that spring’s NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for DJ Moore, the Nos. 9 and 61 picks in the 2023 draft, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick.
Now, we all know how this trade panned out for the Bears.
But what about the Panthers? On the surface, getting only quarterback Bryce Young in exchange for a boatful of riches through the draft seems like bad business, but was this trade really that bad for Carolina?
Good God, yes.
In all seriousness, Young has shown steady improvement over his three seasons with the Panthers, posting his best season in 2025. In 16 games last season, the former Alabama star attempted 478 passes, throwing for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The performance was good enough to aid Carolina in winning a weak NFC South and clinching its first playoff berth since 2017.
The key words there? Good enough.
In fact, Young’s 2025 passing yardage, touchdown and interception totals resemble those from Mitch Trubisky’s 2018 campaign, which is the ultimate “good enough” QB season in recent Bears history.
Going too far down that Trubisky rabbit hole would be dangerous as the circumstances were much different, but as a surface-level comparison, it serves its purpose: providing a baseline.
Now, the 2026 Panthers look improved from their 2025 form, at least on paper, but this actually makes it harder to evaluate Young’s impact. To namedrop Trubisky one last time, he was a quarterback the Bears were able to win with, but rarely because of.
In Young’s case, this is actually the area with the most room for optimism. In 2025, the third-year QB led six game-winning drives for Carolina, matching the total from his first two seasons combined.
Bryce Young’s future
The Panthers exercised their fifth-year option for Young back in April, which will keepi the QB under contract through 2027. Still, 2026 remains a pivotal year for Young if he’s to receive the really big riches of an extension.
According to Next Gen Stats, Young ranked 30th last season among all qualified passers in expected points added per dropback on intermediate throws (10-19 yards).
Nine of the top 15 quarterbacks in this category also rank among the NFL’s 15 highest-paid quarterbacks by average annual contract value.
Now this isn’t the be-all and end-all, but if Young wants to take the next step and earn that next contract, improving in this category is a clear starting point.
Young has improved in finishing games but still needs to work on getting started quickly. He posted a first-half passer rating of 76.4 in 2025 compared to 97.1 in the second half.
Sunday matchup
Young has played the Bears twice, starting the first contest in 2023 the first one and relieving Andy Dalton in 2024. Both games were at Soldier Field, both games were won by the Bears.
To be honest, there’s not much to go off of here since the Bears were still under head coach and defensive play-caller Matt Eberflus at the time. Young didn’t throw an interception in either game, but he also didn’t throw a touchdown in either. He finished both games with a combined 243 yards.
The biggest question for Young on Sunday will be his ability to take advantage of the weaknesses in the Bears’ defense, particularly the secondary.
With Chicago projected to start two new safeties in rookie Dillon Thieneman and veteran Xavier Woods, don’t be surprised if Young tests their chemistry early. If Tetairoa McMillan spends most of the game outside, 6-foot-3 Jalen Coker could face 5-foot-9 Cam Lewis in the slot. Yikes.
It won’t be entirely smooth sailing for Young, however, as Bears defensive end Montez Sweat will likely line up opposite rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling for much of the game, giving the eighth-year veteran the clear advantage.
Getting the ball out quickly will be huge for Young on Sunday, as the Panthers were sixth-worst in time to pressure against in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats.