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Is Bryce Young the next Aaron Rodgers? It is way too soon to tell if the rookie has the Hall of Fame in his future, but he is getting high praise from coaches and players around the league, including four-time NFL MVP himself.
The New York Jets and Carolina Panthers held joint practices this week, meaning Rodgers and Young, both new to their teams, got to see each other play in person.
Rodgers did not get to see too much of Young at camp, saying he only got to watch a few minutes at the end of practice. Despite not seeing an extensive amount of Young playing, having the same agent as Young and being friends with Carolina wide receiver Adam Thielen mean Rodgers is plugged into how the rookie is adjusting. Rodgers is impressed with what he has learned about Young so far.
“I like the kid a lot,” Rodgers said (via ESPN). “We share an agent, so I’ve known about him for a long time. I loved watching him in college. I like his demeanor, I like his movement, I like the way he throws. I trust a guy like Adam. Him and I have been buddies for a long time, and he raves about him. So, I think Carolina is in good hands.”
Panthers head coach Frank Reich said he is not quite ready to start comparing his QB to Rodgers, but he was willing to comment on some of their similarities. Reich said Young has the same “elite” s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 as Rodgers to be able to get the ball out with a high level of speed.
The experience difference between the two is massive, with Rodgers entering his 19th year in the league and Young entering his first. Rodgers shared some insight for the newcomer on how to adjust to the NFL and be successful in the league.
“Be gentle with yourself,” Rodgers said. “It’s a long journey. It feels like every little snap and practice is the end of the world if it doesn’t go right. It’s just not true. It’s a long journey. It’s about holding on to your confidence and enjoying the ride and doing the little things every day. But I think he’s got a good head on his shoulders, and he’ll be just fine.”
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Young not only has some advice from the veteran, but also said being able to practice on the same field was beneficial.
“It was definitely great,” Young said on having joint practices with Rodgers and the Jets (via USA Today). “It’s great being able to see him work and see him operate. That’s someone that I’ve observed and always looked at and watched for a long time growing up. So being able to watch him in person — we were on different fields, so I didn’t get to see all his reps — but being able to see the things that I saw. And he came up to me before and was really nice and we had some words.”
Before practice began, Rodgers and Young were able to speak briefly, something the 2023 No. 1 pick appreciated.
“It was just more general talk,” Young said. “He talked a little bit about his experience and wished me luck and asked me about how things were goin’. We both were warmin’ up, so we both kinda had to get back to our teams and periods. But just for him to take the time to come out and to say something, I really appreciate it.”
The Panthers and Jets will face off in a preseason game on Saturday at 4 p.m.
