Where Young goes from here is hard to forecast. Does he still view himself as a franchise quarterback?

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

“It’s been great with these guys too, having teammates I can lean on as well. That’s not something that’s going to waver. Again, what the circumstances are, what happens that’s up for God to decide. That’s out of my hands.”

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

Asked how he’ll handle the new assignment following his demotion, Young said he’s focusing on the short term.

“Really right now, I’m a day-by-day type of person,” he said. “… Big-picture stuff, that’s out of my hands. That’s in God’s hands. Organizational stuff, that’s with the people upstairs.”

The Panthers traded a haul prior to the 2023 draft to pick Young, a debt they’re still paying off. They owe the Chicago Bears their second-round choice in the 2025 NFL Draft after already sending them wide receiver DJ Moore and a package of picks that included the selection that became Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall this spring.

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

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