NFL analyst names Panthers' top MVP candidate for 2025 season

The Carolina Panthers haven't had the NFL's Most Valuable Player in nearly 10 full seasons. But can someone on their current roster break that drought in 2025?

NFL.com writer Eric Edholm recently named each team's top MVP candidate for the upcoming campaign. He tabs quarterback Bryce Young as Carolina's best shot at the sport's top individual honor.

Edholm writes:

The Panthers don't really have a non-QB worth nominating, and even Young feels like a reach. His play down the stretch last winter was exactly what you wanted to see from a player who had been benched following a terrible start to Year 2 -- Young performed with the sort of bravado and accuracy the Panthers yearned for when they traded up to take him No. 1. Is Young at an MVP level yet? No, not close, but the franchise spent much of the offseason looking for ways to beef up his artillery. Carolina should be better, and Young is headed in the right direction, but it would take a pretty significant leap for him to be recognized among the very best of the best.

Young made a pretty significant leap this past year, after returning from his shocking early-season benching. The former first overall pick started and impressed in the season's final 10 games—totaling 2,327 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 mark.

Year No. 3 is set to offer Young the most stable situation he's had yet as a pro. The soon-to-be 24-year-old will not only be in his second campaign under head coach and offensive play-caller Dave Canales, but he'll also have the continuity of a solid starting offensive line and a new No. 1 wideout at his disposal in 2025's eighth overall selection Tetairoa McMillan.

Will all of that help create a very unlikely MVP case from Young? Probably not.

Another step in the right direction for Young, however, will be incredibly valuable for the Panthers as they keep on building.