Panther quarterback Bryce Young’s story is “far, far from finished” following his benching on Monday amid an 0-2 start to the season.
That’s according to current Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, a previous first-overall pick like Young who experienced rocky seasons early in his NFL tenure — which included a stint in Carolina — before enjoying a career resurgence in Tampa Bay.
“Quarterback’s hard, especially for young guys when you’re not surrounded with the pieces, not given the opportunity to have success, and so, a lot of the time, the guys might have the talent, they might have the brains but they don’t have the opportunity or the right fit,” Mayfield told reporters Wednesday.
“I mean, I’m sitting here right now in a way better fit than other places I’ve been, and that’s not to put other teams down, but it’s a matter of the pieces around you, the coaches. For Bryce, I can relate to this, finding that belief within yourself again, and he’ll get it. His story is far, far from finished.”
Mayfield, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Browns in 2018, was traded to Carolina in the summer of 2022 after Cleveland acquired his replacement in Deshaun Watson earlier this year.
He joined ex-Jet Sam Darnold — a fellow first-rounder who is now flushing with the Vikings — and played in seven games for the Panthers.
Mayfield was released in late 2022 and had a five-game run with the Rams before signing with the Buccaneers in free agency last March.
Upon leading the Buccaneers to a 9-8 regular-season record and a surprise postseason run, Mayfield was awarded a three-year, $100 million contract in the spring.
He and the Bucs are off to a hot 2-0 start while NFC South rival Panthers remain winless after back-to-back blowout losses.
Young, the No. 1 pick in last year’s NFL draft, will now suit up as the No. 2 quarterback behind veteran Andy Dalton, Panther coach Dave Canales confirmed Monday.
“This is something after I watched the film, I looked at it, had a thought, started working on talking to the guys that we make decisions with. Certainly a lot of parties involved there,” said Canales, who worked with Mayfield a season ago as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator.
“Ultimately this comes on me, and my No. 1 responsibility is to help the Panthers win. And so this move, I believe, puts us in the best chance to do that this week.”
Young and those close to him were “very shocked” by the decision, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, while prominent sports figures lambasted the Panthers over the move, including LeBron James.
Young owns a 2-16 record across a season-plus in Carolina, completing 70.9 percent of his passes for 3,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.