LANDON WASHBURN, STAFF WRITER
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
One of the main ways NFL teams acquire players is through trading with one another.
The Carolina Panthers, in a bold move, traded up with the Chicago Bears from pick nine to one in the 2023 draft, where they secured the highly-touted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. In return, Chicago received the talented all-pro wide receiver D.J. Moore, picks nine and 61 in the 2023 NFL draft, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and a 2025 second-round pick.
Bryce Young was expected to be a game-changer. However, he became the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era, starting in 1967, to be benched for a non-injury reason in his second season.
Young struggled in his first two starts of the 2024-2025 season. In the first two games this year, he had an abysmal stat line. Through the air, he threw for 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions, all while completing just 55.4% of his throws. He didn’t do much on the ground either, having just five carries for 18 yards and a touchdown.
His rookie campaign wasn’t something to brag about, either, holding a 1-15 record.
In his rookie season, Young completed 315-of-527 passes for 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Of the 32 quarterbacks who threw at least 240 passes last season, Young’s passing-efficiency rating of 73.7 was the worst. His average gain of 5.5 yards per pass and 9.0 yards per completion also ranked last.
First-year head coach Dave Canales opted to go to the veteran backup quarterback, Andy Dalton, after the Panthers started the season 0-2, all while being outscored by 60.
To add salt to the wound, Bryce Young was taken one pick before the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud.
Stroud earned a pro-bowl selection for his rookie campaign and led the Houston Texans to an AFC south division championship, where he won a playoff game. He is already widely viewed as a top quarterback in the league. Through his first 19 starts, the Ohio State alum holds a 12-7 record, passing for 5,162 yards with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
When we consider the history of bad NFL trades, the Carolina Panthers’ move to acquire Bryce Young will likely be mentioned. It’s on par with New Orleans giving up every pick they owned in the 1999 draft and a first and third-round pick in the 2000 draft to trade up with the Washington Redskins and draft Ricky Williams.
The Houston Texans trading Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns in 2021 is one of the worst trades in recent history.
The Browns gave up three consecutive first-round picks (2022, 2023, and 2024), two fourth-rounders (2022 and 2024)and a third-round pick in 2023. Along with the draft capital, the Browns gave Watson a five-year, 230 million-dollar contract, which at the time set a new record for the most guaranteed money in an NFL contract.
While the current situation may seem bleak, there is still ample time for Young to turn his career around. If he can find his stride in the Panthers organization, the narrative of this trade could shift from regret to redemption. However, if this doesn’t occur, the trade could be remembered as a costly gamble that didn’t pay off.
washbulj22@bonaventure.edu
