The Carolina Panthers re-signed quarterback Andy Dalton on Tuesday to a two-year contract, giving them a veteran presence behind starter Bryce Young heading into the 2025 season.
The 37-year-old Dalton, who threw for 989 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions in five starts last season, was set to become an unrestricted free agent next month. Dalton joined the Panthers in 2023 and spent the past two seasons mainly backing up Young, the No. 1 overall pick that year.
However, Dalton was thrust into a starting role in Week 3 last season when first-year head coach Dave Canales benched Young after the Panthers started 0-2 and were outscored 73-13. Canales said at the time he turned to Dalton because he felt he “gave the Panthers the best chance to win.”
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Dalton responded by throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, a 36-22 road win at Las Vegas. However, he lost his next four starts before being sidelined with a sprained thumb following a car crash in Charlotte.
Young regained the starting job and never looked back.
Following a loss to Denver, Young responded with two wins and showed steady improvement the rest of the season.
Young went 4-6 as a starter down the stretch for Carolina and finally appeared to figure things out in Week 18 when he threw for 251 yards and combined for a career-high five touchdowns in a 44-38 overtime road win against the Atlanta Falcons, cementing his role as a starter heading into the next season.
Bryce Young details his growth from his being benched | The Facility
“Me and Andy are super close,” Young said, according to the Panthers’ team 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. 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 thrown for 39,500 yards with 253 touchdowns and 150 interceptions during his NFL career. A second-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011, Dalton has played for five teams during his 14-year career and been selected to the Pro Bowl three times.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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