Where Young goes from here is difficult to predict. Does he still see himself as a franchise quarterback?

“I have confidence in myself,” Young said. “I’ve always had confidence in myself. But it’s a day-to-day thing. I always feel like I’m a competitor at the end of the day. Anytime there’s a football and a field out there, I have the most confidence in myself.”

“With these guys too, it was great to have teammates I can rely on. This is not something that will falter. What the circumstances are and what happens is up to God. It’s not in my hands.”

Andy Dalton is scheduled to make his first start of the season and just his second since 2022. The 0-2 Panthers travel to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday seeking their first road win since the end of the 2022 season. Young will serve as the Panthers’ No. 2 QB.

When asked how he would handle his new role after his demotion, Young said he was focused on the short-term perspective.

“At the moment I’m really a person who lives from day to day,” he said. “… The big picture is not in my hands. That is in God’s hands. Organizational stuff is in the hands of the people up there.”

The Panthers traded big money for Young before the 2023 draft, a debt they are still paying off. They owe the Chicago Bears their second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after already sending them wide receiver DJ Moore and a package of picks, including the selection that took Caleb Williams No. 1 overall this spring.

Whether Young can ever turn things around in Carolina is anyone’s guess, but he said he remains grateful and committed to the team as long as he’s still on the roster.

“I’m super grateful to be part of the team and the organization,” Young said. “I’m going to help the team in any way I can and that’s my focus.”