Bryce Young has officially hopped on the Carolina Panthers train — and is getting paid.
The No.1 draft pick agreed to terms on a four-year full guaranteed $37.96 million rookie deal with a $24.6 million signing bonus, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
The team confirmed in a statement that Young had agreed to the deal before rookies are expected to report Saturday.
The Panthers, who have not made the playoffs since 2017, are hoping their top pick pays off, as they traded two first-round picks and D.J. Moore to the Bears for the No. 1 overall selection.
While dealing picks and a solid veteran in Moore, Carolina ended up with Young and his promising future.
The 21-year-old was a two-year starter at Alabama and threw for 8,200 yards, 79 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while winning 27 games and the 2021 Heisman Trophy for the Crimson Tide.
The Panthers hope Young can usher in a new era in Carolina after a few disastrous seasons, including in 2022, when the team finished 5-12 and fired Matt Rhule before the halfway point of the season.
They struggled to find stability — and good results — under center last year, with Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker and Jacob Eason all taking snaps.
The team was in such dire straits last year that Rhule told ESPN earlier in July that coaching the Panthers was akin to “purifying fire.”
“Going through the fire in Carolina was a purifying fire that melts away all the impurities, all the hubris, all the worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter,” Rhule told ESPN. “I learned very much to worry about what matters. I have a focus and a desire in me.
But the Panthers are looking to turn the page after bringing in Frank Reich to take the helm as head coach.
Reich moved Young to the team’s first-team quarterback in June, a move that makes Young the favorite to start Week 1 of the regular season.
“Everybody is here for him,” receiver DJ Chark said when the Panthers made the move. “And we believe he can take us to some really high places.”
It soon it will become apparent whether or not the Panthers’ blockbuster decision was worth it.