Few franchises in the National Football League have drawn more scrutiny in recent months than the Carolina Panthers. Once a team that reached the Super Bowl and carried the swagger of Cam Newton’s MVP campaign, they now find themselves at the center of growing concern from league insiders, fans, and even their own players. From questionable draft decisions to a revolving door at the coaching level, sources around the league have gone as far as to describe the Panthers as a “mess” of an organization. One anonymous league executive has even called the team’s current situation a “disaster,” a characterization that isn’t hard to accept when considering the full context of where the franchise currently stands. Another executive questioned the wisdom of trading up to draft Bryce Young, only to fail in building a supportive environment around him. These concerns strike at the very heart of what separates stable NFL franchises from the ones doomed to dysfunction. To fully understand the criticism levied at the Panthers, it’s important to examine the multiple layers of their missteps, how those choices reflect broader trends in team management, and what could lie ahead if these issues remain unaddressed.
The decision to trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft to select Bryce Young was meant to be a new beginning for Carolina. After cycling through quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and P.J. Walker in previous seasons, the Panthers were desperate for a franchise signal-caller to lead them out of obscurity. Young, the Heisman-winning quarterback from Alabama, carried with him all the hallmarks of a cerebral and accurate passer with poise beyond his years. He excelled in college under Nick Saban, where he was known not just for his physical skillset but also for his composure, leadership, and high football IQ. On paper, he appeared to be a surefire answer for a team in need of identity and direction.
However, the NFL is not college football, and the transition from NCAA to the pros often exposes even the most talented athletes to brutal realities. While Bryce Young still possesses plenty of promise, the situation he has been placed in could hardly be described as conducive to development. In fact, several league executives have noted that the Panthers did not do nearly enough to highlight Young’s strengths or protect his weaknesses in his rookie year. A successful young quarterback in the NFL doesn’t just need talent; he needs infrastructure—competent coaching, a solid offensive line, skilled receivers, and a consistent offensive scheme. Without these things, a promising career can veer off track quickly. In Young’s case, what he received was a revolving cast of play-callers, a shaky offensive line, and a receiving corps that lacked a true number-one target.
This mismanagement of a young quarterback is particularly troubling when considering the price the Panthers paid to acquire him. Carolina traded away wide receiver D.J. Moore, as well as multiple first- and second-round picks, to move up in the 2023 draft to take Young at No. 1 overall. Moore had been the Panthers’ most consistent and productive wide receiver in recent years, and losing him not only robbed Young of a dynamic playmaker but also significantly weakened an already thin offensive unit. The sacrifice was deemed necessary at the time, but it has aged poorly given how the first season of the Bryce Young experiment unfolded.
Making matters worse, the team’s offensive line proved unable to keep Young upright or comfortable in the pocket. He spent much of the 2023 season under duress, forced to make rushed decisions and take unnecessary hits. Not only does this stunt a quarterback’s development, but it can also chip away at their confidence. For a player like Young—who, while talented, is undersized by NFL standards—this kind of constant pressure can be especially damaging. Instead of being placed in a system tailored to his strengths—quick reads, tempo-based schemes, and precision passing—he was thrust into a chaotic environment where nothing seemed to work consistently.
The coaching situation only compounded the problem. Frank Reich was hired to usher in this new era and was expected to be a steadying presence for Young. Yet his tenure was abruptly cut short after just 11 games, making him one of the shortest-tenured head coaches in recent NFL history. His firing marked yet another chapter in the Panthers’ long-running inability to maintain coaching stability. Since the departure of Ron Rivera in 2019, the team has cycled through coaches without establishing any real continuity. Matt Rhule was brought in with great fanfare and a long-term contract, only to be fired halfway through the 2022 season. Reich followed a similar trajectory, and now the team turns again to a new leader to right the ship.
This kind of turnover at the coaching level has a cascading effect on player development, locker room morale, and the ability of a team to forge a cohesive identity. Players don’t know what kind of system they’re going to be in from one year to the next. They can’t build rapport with a coaching staff that is constantly in flux. For a young quarterback like Bryce Young, who needs stability to flourish, this has been especially detrimental. A new playbook every year, new voices in the quarterback room, and shifting philosophies all contribute to a lack of growth. It’s not hard to see why some league executives look at Carolina’s situation and describe it as a disaster.
Ownership is another piece of the puzzle that cannot be ignored. Since David Tepper purchased the franchise in 2018, the team has not had a winning season. Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager, was expected to bring a new energy and financial muscle to the franchise. But his time at the helm has been characterized more by impatience and impulsive decisions than by visionary leadership. He has fired multiple head coaches, invested heavily in temporary solutions at quarterback, and has seemingly struggled to foster a stable culture within the organization. Ownership in the NFL is about more than writing checks—it’s about setting the tone for the entire franchise. When that tone is one of constant upheaval, it filters down through every level of the organization.
Draft strategy under Tepper’s regime has also come under fire. While every team occasionally misses on draft picks, the Panthers have struggled to assemble a coherent long-term roster-building plan. The decision to give up premium draft capital to acquire Bryce Young was bold, but it left the team without the assets needed to surround him with top-tier talent in subsequent drafts. Meanwhile, other teams like the Houston Texans built more complete rosters around their rookie quarterbacks and saw immediate dividends. It’s not that drafting Bryce Young was inherently wrong—it’s that the Panthers failed to build the appropriate structure around him after making that choice.
The 2023 season was a brutal display of these organizational shortcomings. Carolina finished the year with the worst record in the league, and their offense ranked among the bottom in nearly every statistical category. They lacked explosion, consistency, and any semblance of identity. Defensive efforts, though spirited at times, were not enough to compensate for an offense that routinely went three-and-out or turned the ball over. Even promising players like edge rusher Brian Burns and cornerback Jaycee Horn couldn’t make enough of an impact to change the course of the team’s fortunes.
The situation also raises broader questions about how NFL teams evaluate quarterback prospects and manage their development. There’s a growing recognition in the league that quarterbacks are not plug-and-play solutions. The environment they enter into matters immensely. Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith and joined a team coached by Andy Reid. Jalen Hurts had to earn his way up the depth chart but benefited from a franchise that eventually invested in his growth with weapons and a strong O-line. Even C.J. Stroud, drafted after Bryce Young, joined a Texans team with a strong coaching staff and a plan. Quarterbacks are often the face of the franchise, but they are not saviors in and of themselves. Without support, even the best prospects can flounder.
There’s still hope for Bryce Young, and the story of his NFL career is far from over. But if the Panthers are to give him a real chance to succeed, they must make fundamental changes in how they operate. They need to commit to a long-term coaching solution that can grow with Young, not just oversee another transitional period. They need to rebuild the offensive line, invest in top-tier receiving talent, and create a system that plays to Young’s strengths rather than exposing his limitations. That means tailoring schemes around quick reads, maximizing yards after catch, and maintaining tempo to keep defenses off balance.
Moreover, the front office must align on a singular vision of how to build a sustainable winner. That involves patience—something the franchise has not demonstrated in recent years. It also involves humility—admitting where mistakes were made, learning from them, and recalibrating future decisions based on what the team truly needs rather than what ownership wants in the moment. A team that panics with each setback cannot hope to build the kind of organizational culture that sustains success.
Fans deserve better. Panthers supporters have stood by their team through thin years, and their loyalty should not be taken for granted. They deserve transparency, accountability, and a plan they can believe in. Winning in the NFL is never easy, and no one expects miracles overnight. But competence, direction, and commitment are not too much to ask. Until the Panthers can embody those traits, they will continue to be viewed—not unfairly—as a “mess” of a franchise, a cautionary tale of how even high-potential teams can fall apart without leadership and vision at the top.
The road back to respectability is not impossible. It will require better scouting, smarter drafting, and a renewed emphasis on organizational alignment from the top down. Bryce Young, still only in the early stages of his career, can be part of that resurgence. But the clock is ticking, and each misstep by the franchise threatens to make the hole deeper. The Panthers have reached a crossroads. Will they continue to spin in circles, stuck in a pattern of reactive decisions and fleeting fixes? Or will they finally embrace the hard, disciplined work of rebuilding—not just a roster, but a culture that can stand the test of time? The answers to those questions will shape not just the fate of one young quarterback, but the entire trajectory of the Carolina Panthers for years to come.
