The Carolina Panthers benched quarterback Bryce Young two games into his second NFL season. Five months later, the former Alabama All-American not only is back in the Panthers’ plans, he is being consulted about the franchise’s future.

“He’s always asking me stuff,” Young said about Carolina general manager Dan Morgan during a Super Bowl Week appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams.” “He wants me to send him things and give him my opinion, which I’m super grateful for him having that open mind, having an open line of communication, wanting to include me in things. That means a lot. That goes a long way for me.

“He’s done a great job, so I’m super grateful for that.”

Young served as Andy Dalton’s backup for five games after Carolina removed him from the lineup. Dalton sustained a thumb injury in a traffic accident to put Young back on the field for a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 27, and he stayed in the lineup the rest of the season.

After a 2-15 showing in 2023, Carolina won one of its first eight games in 2024. But the Panthers had four victories in their final nine games. Young passed for 1,880 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions while also running for 217 yards and five touchdowns in those nine contests.

That prompted postseason votes of confidence from Morgan, coach Dave Canales and owner David Tepper as the Panthers lay plans for their 2025 season.

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“It means a lot,” Young said. “Just knowing how to operate, how to move forward, just getting that bolt of confidence from the organization, from everyone, I’m super grateful for that. And then it’s just time to parlay that into success, of course, just as a team.

“I’m super excited because we all understand the work that it’s going to take, and we’re all excited for that. We all have that attitude of just wanting to get better throughout the offseason for next year, wanting to build, wanting to continue to grow. And I’m all in. Everyone’s all in. I’m grateful to just get back to work and continue building.”

In Carolina’s 2024 finale, Young threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in a 44-38 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 5. The only other player to have three TD passes and two TD runs in a game this season was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the AP NFL MVP Award winner.

“We wanted to make sure that we finished on our own terms,” Young said. “Coach Canales is always talking about finish. That’s kind of just a theme for us, a mantra, and something that we try to live by. And, obviously, we knew that was going to be the last game of the year, and I was just so proud to be a part of a team like that. Knowing that it’s offseason next week, no one phoned it in. There was no lack of confidence or lack of focus throughout the week. And then on Sunday, you can go out there and just think about having a foot in the parking lot and think about the offseason. But for us to battle, pull out a game in OT, it means something to everyone. That was something that I was super grateful to be a part of.”