3 Most Likely Bryce Young Trade Destinations After Shocking Benching

The Bryce Young era in Carolina may already be over. Head coach Dave Canales announced on Monday that Young was being benched in favor of veteran journeyman Andy Dalton for Week 3 against the Raiders.

Young is quite possibly the biggest bust we've seen in recent memory, throwing just 11 TDs to 13 interceptions with a series of disastrous miscues. He's 2-17 as a starter, and it's going to be difficult for Canales to go back to the 2023 No. 1 overall pick after this public embarrassment.

With that in mind, Young could soon be on the move as the Panthers look ahead to the 2025 season. It's overwhelmingly likely that Carolina will draft yet another QB in the upcoming draft, so let's look at three likely trade destinations now that Young's time as a starter is seemingly over.

1. Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay is a well-known QB whisperer, frequently elevating the talent of his signal callers with spectacular offensive schemes. Matthew Stafford is the bonafide starter and still one of the NFL's top QBs, but he's now 36 years old and Los Angeles needs to consider a replacement plan.

Young could be the perfect project for McVay to tackle. He was phenomenal in college and became the top pick for a reason, so there's certainly talent hidden by waves of inconsistency and poor performance. The Rams don't have a succession plan with just Stetson Bennett and the underwhelming Jimmy Garoppolo on the depth chart behind Stafford.

It seems the Panthers won't get anything close to the compensation they sent to the Bears to acquire Young, allowing the Rams to swoop in. If anyone can resurrect Young's once-promising career, it's McVay.

All options are on the table for the Panthers at this point. That being said, few things would be more painful than seeing an NFC foe turn Young into a competent and productive QB. Carolina might not have much of a choice but purely from Young's perspective, the Rams would be a great landing spot.