Aaron Rodgers refuses to let Bryce Young get 'cancelled' in Panthers crisis: "Are we really going to bury a 22yo kid after a season?"
Bryce Young has had an awful start to his NFL career. The 2023 NFL Draft's first-overall pick is playing in a 1-10 team that has no wide receivers who can create separation, poor pass protection all the way through the offensive line and a coaching staff that refuses to adjust - which led to head coach Frank Reich being fired after just 11 games.
This has not been the start to the season that Bryce Young and Carolina Panthers fans had hoped, especially with the second-overall pick, C. J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, playing out of his mind and already being considered an MVP candidate in his rookie year. However, Young got himself an advocate this week: New York Jets superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Recovering from a torn Achilles after playing just four snaps this season, Aaron Rodgers made his weekly Tuesday appearance at Pat McAfee's ESPN show. He gave his view: no one should bury a 22-year-old quarterback too soon after just 11 games into his career:
"The people that commentate on the league, scrutinize the league, they wanna cancel and bury people much too quickly. There's not a lot of opportunity for people to learn and go through their lumps. They're already crowning Stroud and burying Bryce. I get it, but, it's his first year.
And yeah, Stroud has been fantastic, and Bryce hasn't had the same type of numbers. But are we really gonna bury a 22-year-old kid after a season? I hope not. I wouldn't count against that kid. I think he's a phenomenal player, he's got a great work ethic - you know, we played in the preseason. I don't think anybody was thinking this was going to be a 1-10 team"
What are Bryce Young's numbers in the NFL so far?
The Carolina Panthers quarterback has not had the greatest start to an NFL career, with 61.7% of completed passes, 1877 passing yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He's showing slow signs of progression, which is a bit worrying if you consider how much the Panthers paid to be able to him. However, Frank Reich's firing and improvements around the roster in the next offseason should give Bryce Young a better chance to shine in the NFL.