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Sources – Teams interested in a Bryce Young trade with the Panthers

Several teams have expressed interest in trading for quarterback Bryce Young, although coach Dave Canales said the Carolina Panthers have no intention of trading the former first-round pick, league sources told ESPN.

According to league sources, the Panthers have been contacted by certain teams while other teams have considered transferring Young within their own organization.

Although the Panthers have stated they have no plans to trade Young at this time, league sources believe it's only a matter of time before Carolina makes a deal with the second-year quarterback – most likely sometime in the offseason.

At the moment, the Panthers would like to use Young as a backup to their new starter Andy Dalton and, according to sources, believe that they will be able to call on Young again later this season, depending on how the coming weeks go.

Young, who was benched in favor of Dalton on Monday, has struggled and hasn't looked like a No. 1-drafted quarterback, but he's still expected to bring some trade value to Carolina – albeit far below what the Panthers sold to the Chicago Bears last year to move up to the No. 1 spot and select him in the draft.

In 2019, the Cardinals traded 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen (drafted 10th) to the Dolphins for a second-round pick, the 62nd overall selection, which Arizona used for wide receiver Andy Isabella.

Last offseason, three quarterbacks who were drafted in the first round in 2021 were traded. The New York Jets traded Zach Wilson (No. 2 overall) along with a seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick. The Bears traded Justin Fields (No. 11) to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick that could become a fourth-round pick depending on playing time. The New England Patriots traded Mac Jones (No. 15) to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.

The Panthers are 2-16 with Young as the starter, which is the worst record through 18 games of any quarterback selected with the top pick in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Research. The Heisman Trophy winner has a total QBR of 9.1 this season, which is among the worst in league history for consecutive games.

Young said Thursday he was surprised to be benched, but acknowledged there's “a long list of things I wish were better and I'm going to continue to work on them and grow and improve and get better at them.”

When asked if the Panthers would consider a transfer for Young, Canales answered without hesitation: “A transfer is not something we are really considering.”

Young's teammates spoke out in support of the struggling quarterback. Running back Miles Sanders said “it's definitely not over” for the former Alabama star. Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen added that he was “very excited about (Young's) future.”

“When you watch him in training today, his shots, his confidence – you know that he can do it at a high level,” said Thielen. “Sometimes it's not such a bad thing to just take a step back and take a breath.”

Dalton, 36, will start Sunday when the Panthers (0-2) visit the Las Vegas Raiders.

ESPN's David Newton contributed to this report.

By Vanessa

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