Bryce Young opens up on struggles after his 2024 benching
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young arrived in the NFL with plenty of hype. Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 and followed that up by being the SEC Male Athlete of the Year in 2022.
That resulted in Young being the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. However, his pro career got off to a rocky start, and by 2024, he was benched for Andy Dalton.
Young has since bounced back and guided the Panthers to the playoffs last season. During an appearance on The Pivot, Young reflected on how that time shaped him into who he is now.
“That was a place I’d never been at before. Obviously not something you’re expecting. You never think things could turn out that way,” Young said. “In the moment, obviously it was a lot. It was hard. It was really difficult. At that time, obviously you’re working through the emotions in real time. You’re figuring it out.”
Young was so distraught that he hit the road with no clear destination.
“That night I drove around. I didn’t want to go back home. I just drove for like hours. I didn’t know where I was going,” Young said. “I put Atlanta in my GPS. I knew I wasn’t going to go all the way to Atlanta but I just didn’t know what was up, what was down in that time, as I was driving to clear my mind.”
After that, Young decided to not dwell on the negatives and instead focused on what he could control.
“I made a conscious decision to challenge myself to be as consistent as I could be during that time and to grow from it…I’m human. I was upset. I was confused. I was mad at myself…A bunch of people reached out and texted to show support. I was super grateful for it.”
Young believes it was a spiritual test that he’s thankful he passed.
“That was one of the first times in a professional sense that I had no choice. I think that wasn’t an accident. I think God put me there to know that the faith is real for me. For me to be able to experience God in a different way.”
Young passed for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns while also rushing for two scores en route to guiding the Panthers to the NFC South title last season. The latest odds at Kalshi give the Panthers a 37% chance to return to the postseason next year.
