The Carolina Panthers benched young quarterback Bryce Young for a few games during the regular season in favor of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. And following that move, it sounds like Dalton is staying with the team.
The Panthers selected Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he did not perform the way the team would have hoped, ultimately leading to his benching in the middle of the 2024 season.
Dalton took over for Young for five games during the 2024 season but ultimately went back to the bench after he was injured during a car accident. Once Dalton was healthy enough to return, Young had improved and remained the starting quarterback. Still, however, the team wants Dalton to remain with the team.
According to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Carolina Panthers have decided to bring the veteran quarterback back on a two-year contract.
“Panthers and Andy Dalton reached agreement on a two-year, $8 million deal that includes $6 million guaranteed and has a max value of $10 million, per source. Panthers QB Bryce Young has developed a close relationship with Dalton, and now the two continue to get to work together,” Schefter said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
Dalton originally joined the league as a second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals back in 2011. Since then, he has started 168 games for the Bengals, Cowboys, Bears, Saints, and Panthers.
Throughout his career, Dalton has completed 63 percent of his passes for 39,500 yards with 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions.
We’ll have to see whether or not Dalton is thrust into action for the Panthers again this season.
