It’s been 77 days since the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young atop the 2023 draft. Yet, he’s spent zero of them as an officially contracted NFL player.
Why?
Former sports agent Joel Corry just penned a piece for CBS Sports about the rather extensive holdup. The contract and salary cap expert stated that there’s a difference of opinion regarding the payout of the signing bonus, as Young is likely aiming towards receiving it in a lump sum rather than in multiple installments.
Corry writes:
Young is surely trying to extend the lump payment streak with the first overall pick to four years. Kyler Murray in 2019 was the last first overall pick who had his signing bonus paid in installments. Of Murray’s $23,589,924 signing bonus, $16.75 million was paid on June 3, which was a little more than three weeks after his contract was executed. The remaining $6,839,924 was deferred until March 1, 2020.
Lump sums, particularly at the top of the draft board, have become more common in recent years. The last three first overall picks—Jacksonville’s Travon Walker (2022) and Trevor Lawrence (2021) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (2020)—all raked in their bonuses in one shot.
This seems to be the desired outcome for Young as well as fellow 2023 draftees C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson—whom also have to yet sign their pacts. So Corry goes on to note that the Panthers, who haven’t lumped it up over those last three years, may need to change their approach this time around:
Carolina has had top 10 picks in each of the last three drafts. None of the players has received a signing bonus in a lump sum. For example, 2022 sixth overall pick Ikem Ekwonu received $12,060,644 of his $17,299,492 signing bonus within 30 days of executing his contract. The remaining $5,168,848 wasn’t payable until April 1, 2023. The Panthers’ rookies report to training camp on July 22.
