PANTHERS' OFFENSE TAKING SHAPE
QB Bryce Young gets honest about big change for 2026
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik are seen during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 8, 2024.
NFL
Although he'll still have a familiar voice in his ear, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young seems unsure of how the newly-guided offense will flow in 2026.
Young spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning, as players continued to acclimate to the start of the offseason workout program. He was asked about the offense's shift in play-calling duties, which will see offensive coordinator Brad Idzik take the reins from head coach Dave Canales.
"I'm excited," Young replied. "I have all the confidence in the world in Brad. He's been huge for us during this whole staff's time here. It's been probably a little more behind-the-scenes from the outside looking in, but he's been a big reason for everything that's happened."
Idzik, this past season, played a part in bringing the Panthers their first NFC South title since 2015. He also had a hand in Young's best pro campaign to date — where he tossed for career-highs in completion percentage (63.6), yards (3,011), touchdowns (23) and passer rating (87.8).
Young will now work under his fourth different play-caller in as many seasons for Carolina — with Idzik joining the likes of former head coach Frank Reich, former offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Canales. And with yet another change, the former No. 1 overall pick admitted that there's a bit of uncertainty to conquer.
"Honestly, when you get a new play-caller, you kinda never know," he later added. "When it's live and the balls are flying, you don't know what to expect. And I think I'm excited for that. I'm excited to see what his spin is, what his personal thumbprint on the game's gonna be, how he calls it."
Outside of preseason play, Idzik has no prior play-calling experience in the NFL.
Panthers announce return of QB on Tuesday
Will Grier is officially back in Charlotte.
As announced on Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with the 31-year-old quarterback — who began his pro career as a member of the organization seven seasons ago.
The Davidson, N.C., native and Davidson Day School product was selected by the Panthers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He entered the pros as a second-team All-Big 12 member out of West Virginia University after throwing for a conference-leading 351.2 yards per game and 37 touchdowns in 2018.
Grier has appeared in just two regular-season games in the NFL, both of which came for Carolina during his rookie campaign. He made two starts at the end of 2019, completing 28 of his 52 throws for 228 yards and four interceptions in a pair of losses.
The Panthers waived Grier ahead of the 2021 season. He'd proceeded to pick up stops with the Dallas Cowboys (2021 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025), Cincinnati Bengals (2023), New England Patriots (2023), Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and Philadelphia Eagles (2024).
With Grier, Carolina is set to have three quarterbacks on their current roster. He'll join starter Bryce Young and recent free-agent signee Kenny Pickett.
