2023 Young was selected by the
Carolina Panthers as the
first overall pick in the
2023 NFL Draft. The Panthers, who held the ninth overall pick, traded that pick, wide receiver
D. J. Moore, and several other draft picks to the
Chicago Bears for the first overall pick. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $37.9 million fully guaranteed, on July 21, 2023. On September 10, 2023, Young made his NFL debut in a week 1 loss against the
Atlanta Falcons, where he threw his first career touchdown to
Hayden Hurst. He also threw two interceptions, both to Falcons
safety Jessie Bates. In week two, Young threw for 153 yards and a touchdown to
Adam Thielen in his home and primetime debut in a 20–17 loss to the
New Orleans Saints. On September 22, 2023, Young was ruled out for week 3 with a sprained ankle. On October 29, 2023, in week 8, Young got his first win as he defeated 2nd overall pick
C. J. Stroud and the
Houston Texans 15–13. Young threw for 235 yards and one touchdown in the win. On December 17, 2023, in week 15 against the rival Falcons, Young threw for 167 yards and led a 95-yard game-winning drive for a 9–7 victory. The win was the Panthers' second of the season and ended a six-game losing streak. The following week against
Jordan Love and the
Green Bay Packers, Young had the best game of his rookie year to that point, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns, both to
D. J. Chark. The Panthers lost 33–30. He finished his rookie season throwing for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and ten interceptions as the Panthers finished with a 2–15 record. Young also finished with a
passer rating of 73.7, a QBR of 33.2 and completed only 59.8% of his passes. Young had the worst passer rating under pressure of any quarterback in the league with 27.6. Young finished the season with the second worst touchdown percentage by a starting quarterback, only behind
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Kenny Pickett, at 1.9%.
2024 in 2024 Following the second week of the season, Young was benched for veteran
Andy Dalton. The Panthers had lost their first two games to the Saints and Chargers by a combined 60 points, as Young threw three interceptions and no touchdowns over that span. Ahead of the Panthers' week 8 matchup against the
Denver Broncos, Young was reinstated as the starter due to Dalton spraining his thumb in a car accident. In his return, Young threw his first touchdown of the season, connecting on a six-yard pass to rookie
Xavier Legette. He finished the game with 224 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on 24-of-37 passing in a 28–14 loss. After losing to the Broncos, Young led the Panthers to victories over the
New Orleans Saints and
New York Giants, marking the first time the Panthers won consecutive games since 2022. Across those games, Young threw for a combined 297 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, completing 60.8% of his passes. Young retained the starting role ahead of the Panthers' week 12 game against the
Kansas City Chiefs. In a narrow 30–27 loss, Young completed 21-of-35 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, marking one of his best performances of the season. Young continued to lead the team through close losses to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and
Philadelphia Eagles, both decided by a single score. Against Tampa Bay, he recorded a season-high 298 passing yards along with a passing and rushing touchdown. In week 16, Young finished with three touchdowns and guided the Panthers to a 36–30 overtime victory against the
Arizona Cardinals, eliminating Arizona from playoff contention. Young had the best game of his career in the final week of the season against the Atlanta Falcons, passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two, along with a career-high 123.5 passer rating as the Panthers won 44–38 in overtime, marking Carolina's highest point total since 2017. Dating back to his return to the starting lineup, Young threw for 2,104 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, along with five rushing scores. He also led the Panthers to a 4–6 record after returning to the lineup, compared to a 2–16 record to begin his career. Young finished his sophomore season with a passer rating of 82.2, a QBR of 54.1, and an overall completion percentage of 60.9%, all of which were improvements from his rookie season. Following the season, head coach
Dave Canales confirmed that Young would be the team's quarterback heading into the 2025 season.
2025 In a week 7 victory over the
New York Jets, Young exited the contest early after a sack by
Jowon Briggs. The following day, it was reported that Young had sustained a
high ankle sprain and was expected to miss the week 8 matchup against the
Buffalo Bills, but this was unconfirmed by head coach Dave Canales, who said Young was officially "day-to-day". Young was ultimately ruled inactive for the Week 8 game, with Andy Dalton starting in his place against the Bills. In a Week 11, 30–27 overtime win over the
Atlanta Falcons, Young put up three passing touchdowns on 448 passing yards, surpassing
Cam Newton’s previous record (432) for the most passing yards in a game in Panthers franchise history. He finished the season with 3,011 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 63.6% completion percentage. On January 10, 2026, Bryce Young made his playoff debut against the
Los Angeles Rams in the wild card round. He went 21-for-40 with 264 yards passing with a touchdown and interception, and also had a rushing touchdown and 24 yards on three carries. Despite this, the Panthers lost 34–31.
2026 On April 29, 2026, the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on Young's contract. ==Career statistics==