Bryce Young’s ‘colorful’ outburst goes viral. Carolina Panthers had this response
Bryce Young has taken massive strides year-over-year when it comes to his command of the offense, his charisma in the huddle, his confidence in himself and his team.
On Tuesday, he was praised for all that again.
It was just under ... well ... “colorful” circumstances.
It was nearly 1:40 p.m. Tuesday when Young jogged across the field to set up for another rep of drills, playing pitch-and-catch as receivers cycled through their route trees. He was not happy. There’d been drops. Slips on the grass. Overthrows and underthrows and tosses otherwise off target. Part of that was due to a mini-monsoon that swept through the first 10 minutes or so of practice, sure.
But still, Young had seen enough.
“It’s not raining anymore; clean this s--- up now!” he screamed.
He wasn’t done.
“It’s not f----- raining,” Young continued. “We need better execution!”
As you might imagine, the mild-mannered quarterback’s words went viral, first locally then nationally when the NFL shared it on their official social platforms.
And to Carolina’s credit, the Panthers’ offense responded by cleaning up what started as a sloppy day and turning it into one replete with splash plays from Jonathon Brooks, and sharp decisions by Young, and deep opportunities to Chris Brazzell, and a freshly healthy Ja’Tavion Sanders cutting laterally like he did before last year’s season-ending ankle injury.
How else did the team respond to Young’s challenge?
Head coach Dave Canales’ exact words: “I loved it.”
“The more he owns (the offense), the more he’s looking for specific things out of the tight ends, wideouts and backs as the concepts come alive,” Canales said. “And you know, I heard him get a little bit passionate. We got a little bit of a monsoon for a second there in practice. And once the rain had passed, he was like, ‘Hey, let’s lock back in. We gotta come up with these balls.’
“I think he said it in a little more colorful language than that. But I just love it. I just love it. I love the fact that he’s taking ownership. And the guys see that. And rally around that. That’s something they all appreciate.”
Cussing in a gladiator sport like football shouldn’t draw much attention. It’s normal. Watch any huddle breakdown by Derrick Brown last season for proof. Or step inside any locker room anywhere in the history of the sport. It’s not even all that taboo for Young — who, if you ask his teammates, you’ll hear stories of him being a “dawg,” picking his spots to air out frustrations behind closed doors.
But Tuesday’s moment was still an interesting window into who Young could become in 2026. It’s an early assertion — confirmation — that this is his team.
“I ain’t heard nothing about that,” guard Robert Hunt said Tuesday. The offensive linemen were on the other side of the field as the WR-QB drills went on. “That’s great though. He’s taking it serious. It sets the tone. So that’s good.”
Hunt wasn’t necessarily surprised by Young’s passion, either.
“He’ll come in after games and stuff like that, too,” Hunt said. “He’ll let it be known. So he’s got it in him for sure.”
Ask Canales about such a phenomenon, and he’ll make clear that Young is the alpha of the offense, no doubt. No Andy Dalton as a sounding board or safety net anymore as in the three previous seasons, either. But the head coach will also make clear that the development of Young will be a team effort among the QBs — which include free agent pick-ups Kenny Pickett and Will Grier, as well as undrafted rookie Haynes King.
“It’s not just being in support of Bryce. When you build a quarterback room, those guys’ jobs is to know what they’re doing, but also to bring value to the quarterback, to Bryce. And that’s really all of our responsibility. And I love that Haynes gets to see that happen in front of him by veteran guys — that you bring value.
“Even if you’re not out there getting the reps, there’s so much that you can bring.”
Maybe it’s in film study, or “enriching the conversation” in team meetings.
Or maybe it involves refocusing a group of players if they stumble through a drill — colorful language welcomed.
