The Carolina Panthers have signed quarterback Andy Dalton to a two-year extension, the team announced Tuesday.
Dalton, 37, started five of the six games he played in last year completing 66.3 percent of passes for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
In Week 3 of last season, he helped guide the Panthers to their first win of the year after the team benched starter Bryce Young. He continued as the starter until he sprained his throwing thumb in a two-car accident that totaled his Tesla in south Charlotte on Oct. 22.
Young returned to the lineup and played much better as Dalton focused on mentoring the second-year QB.
“Our relationship and friendship is so strong that I want him to feel it, experience it and have all that. Now, it doesn’t take away the fact that I would love to be playing,” Dalton of his role with the Panthers in December. “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 NFL veteran has spent the past two seasons in Carolina after brief stints with the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys.
Most of his career was spent with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played nine years.
Why this is a good move for Young and the Panthers
A toxic quarterback room can easily infect an entire locker room. And the QB situation last year in Carolina — with Young getting benched after two games and then reclaiming it when Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident — could have gotten messy. But Dalton handled everything with class, telling The Athletic in December he wanted to stay in Charlotte and continue serving as a “good steward” to Young. The Panthers could have brought in another veteran to pair with Young. But there’s no guarantee he would have been as accepting of his backup role as Dalton has been. Dalton knows the offense, knows the offensive coaches and has a good relationship with Young. Also, Dalton showed with his 300-yard, three-TD game at Las Vegas he can still sling it when called upon. — Joe Person, Panthers beat writer
Why this is a good move for Dalton
At 37, Dalton is self-aware enough to know that no team was going to sign him to be a starter. Could he have gone somewhere else as the No. 2? Probably. But like a lot of older players who come to Charlotte late in their careers, Dalton embraced the city as a good play to live and raise his children. He also likes the vibe in the organization, and was complimentary of Young’s turnaround in 2024 and what that could mean for the Panthers’ future. Plus, you have to believe Dalton respected how first-year coach Dave Canales tried to make sure in his public comments that Dalton didn’t feel slighted when Canales stuck with Young over the final 10 games. — Person
Required reading
(Photo: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
