Andy Dalton Signs With Panthers, Will Continue to Mentor Bryce Young

Quarterback Andy Dalton of the Carolina Panthers warms up before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium on Nov. 24, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Quarterback Andy Dalton is staying with the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina announced Feb. 18 that the team would bring back Dalton on a two-year deal. Dalton has served as a mentor to fellow quarterback Bryce Young and has previously indicated he wants to stay in that role. The 37-year-old signal caller started five games after Young was benched in Week 3, but suffered a hand injury in a car accident and was replaced by Young, who played at a high level for the rest of the season and held onto the starting job.

The team did not reveal details, but ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the deal is worth $8 million, with $6 million in guaranteed money and a maximum value of $10 million.

Dalton replaced Young in September after the Panthers were blown out by the New Orleans Saints 47-10, then again by the Los Angeles Chargers 26-3. In his first outing against the Las Vegas Raiders, Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-22 victory. But the team then went on a four-game slide. Dalton had middling statistics, throwing for 989 yards and seven touchdowns with six interceptions.

On Oct. 22, Dalton and his family were involved in a car accident that injured the thumb on his throwing hand, and Young was named starter ahead of the Panthers’ Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Young lost to Denver, but showed dramatic improvement: In the first two weeks combined, Young threw for 245 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions; along with 18 rushing yards and a touchdown. Against the Broncos, he threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns with two picks and six rushing yards. Young led the team to wins against the Saints and New York Giants, a last-minute loss against the Kansas City Chiefs and an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals, and a win against the Atlanta Falcons to close out the season. He finished with a 4-8 record, throwing for 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns with nine interceptions; and 249 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Dalton has become a mentor to the former first overall pick. “Me and Andy are super close,” Young said of Dalton, via the team’s official website. “From when I first got here, just being able to talk with him through things, him having perspective on a situation that I had never been a part of, I was always leaning on him, always having conversations and just from a day-to-day basis.

“You can’t add up the hours we spend here; we’re here every single day, and just being able to have someone that you can bounce stuff off of, ask how you see things,” he added. “Whether it’s Xs and Os or it’s philosophical things or stuff outside of football or somewhere nuanced in between. He is always there, just trying to help me out. And again, having a guy like that who really does it for the right reasons and wants to help, that’s super rare. So I’m super grateful for that.”

Dalton has previously indicated that the feeling is mutual. “Our relationship and friendship is so strong that I want him to feel it, experience it and have all that,” Dalton told The Athletic in December. “Now, it doesn’t take away the fact that I would love to be playing. But that’s nothing that is holding me back from supporting everything that he’s doing. I love seeing him make the plays that he’s been able to make.”

The 14-year veteran, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and has had stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Saints before signing with Carolina in 2023, also previously indicated he wanted to stay with the team. “I’m very happy here,'' he said in December, via ESPN. “I‘d love to, if everything worked out, to be back and be a part of this thing.’’