The Carolina Panthers are hoping this will be the year where Bryce Young emerges as a quality NFL quarterback. And they’ve worked hard to protect him. If Young can raise the level of his play, the Panthers might surprise NFL observers. And here are three bold predictions for the 2025 NFL season.
It was a dismal year in 2024 with a record of 5-12. However, the Panthers won two of their last three games. And both of them came in high-scoring overtime contests. They must win these types of games because it gives both Young and head coach Dave Canales confidence.
But will the momentum spill over into 2025? Let’s check out the bold predictions.
Panthers QB Bryce Young will have his best year
He'd better improve. In two seasons, he has a career mark of 6-22. He has completed 60 percent of his passes, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is a modest 26-to-19.
However, this will be the year where Young goes over 3,000 yards passing for the first time. And he will throw 20-plus touchdown passes with fewer than 10 interceptions.
Certainly, Canales is all-in on his young signal-caller, according to a post on X by Cameron Wolfe via bleacherreport.com.
“I don't think there's a ceiling for Bryce,” Canales said. “I think that, first and foremost, it's team football, and Dan Morgan and I talk about this all the time. If we build this team right and we put Bryce into big games, big situations, big moments, he'll come through for us. What I saw from him is just whatever the situation might have been, whoever the opponent was.
“We brought some really good teams in here with the Chiefs and the Eagles, and we played them really well. No moral victories — we lost those games, we didn't finish well — but the moments and the situations that we put Bryce into as a team that we did collectively, he came through and he played well and he earned so much respect from his teammates and the fanbase.”
One of the reasons Young should be better is that he has a dangerous weapon on the outside. And that leads to bold prediction No. 2.
WR Tetairoa McMillan will have 1,000 yards receiving
It’s not so much a shock when rookies hit this level anymore. They come into the league more ready at the wide receiver position than ever before. And McMillan is one of those guys.
Look for him to have multiple 100-yard games. Yes, there will be days when the defenses try to take him away. But with the emergence of Xavier Legette as a better target, McMillan will have his big moments.
McMillan showed up early in the preseason with a big play, according to NFL.com.
“That's what we're counting on. That's why he's here,” Canales said via a team transcript. “Stretch the field, play big, and that was a sign of good things.”
And McMillan is positive, too.
“I definitely feel like it's headed in the right direction,” McMillan said of his connection with Young. “I even told him today, coming off the sideline, I'm like, ‘Man, I like what you're doing out there. Just keep doing it — we're gonna connect, we're good. “I told him, ‘Don't worry. I’m gonna try and make your job easier.' ”
McMillan has a preseason injury, but isn’t expected to miss Week 1.
Panthers will finish with eight wins
That may seem like a high total, but NFL.com has them with nine wins in Adam Rank’s game-by-game scenario.
Of course, this would still leave them out of the playoffs.
“The 2025 Panthers could be a prime example of a team that's better than its projected record,” Ali Bhanpuri wrote. “I am fully aware that I might be a prisoner of the moment with my pessimistic prognostication, and so I wouldn't be surprised if Carolina's real-life win total looks closer to Rank's prediction [six wins] than mine.”
But the schedule is friendly enough to get past six wins. The Panthers' first seven games are all winnable. Not that they will go 7-0, but they should be able to compete with the Jaguars, Cardinals, Falcons, Patriots, Dolphins, Cowboys, and Jets. The rest of the way is much tougher. But if they go 4-3 in those early games, a 4-7 finish seems reasonable.
Part of it depends on whether Canales is a quality NFL head coach. There were question marks in his first season. He needs to answer those early in 2025. Because if the losses start early, especially with a friendly schedule, Canales could be let go during the year.
Young must come through with a solid season for the Panthers to approach the .500 mark. And remember, an 8-9 finish is just a play or two away from 9-8. So the Panthers have a chance to turn the corner.
