How Bryce Young's benching could change the NFL, plus Deion's latest tirade

Tentpole moments in the NFL largely come in the form of Super Bowl wins, radical new schemes or daring coaching hires. So on and so forth.

Bryce Young’s benching this week feels like one of those canon events, and not just for the Panthers or Young — but for how teams evaluate and treat rookie quarterbacks. There are stunning levels of failure here, on every account. Let’s start up close:

• Carolina radically failed Young, whom they selected at No. 1 just last season — after trading a treasure trove of assets to do so. Just 18 games later, Young is out of a job, having already played for three head coaches and multiple play callers. It’s easy to say he never had anything close to a fair chance. His time in Carolina is probably over.
• Yet Young deserves plenty of blame here, too. He has never looked comfortable at this level and has markedly regressed this year. The Athletic’s Mike Sando told me this week that Young’s 5-foot-10 frame made him a dangerous outlier for anyone to take at No. 1, much less a player to mortgage the future for. Turn on Young’s tape, and you’ll see his struggles. I thought this week’s segment on his disappointing film from “The Athletic Football Show” was particularly insightful.
• Zoom out, and this is a symptom of the NFL’s financial system overall. Teams are encouraged to play rookie QBs early and often in the hopes of contending before a massive QB extension kicks in and makes it harder to build an elite team. Sometimes this works out (see: Stroud, C.J., drafted one pick behind Young). Young is the floor here, a combination of rushed development, small stature and front-office instability.

If Young, 23, never starts another game for the Panthers, it is one of the largest organizational failures in NFL history. Panthers coach Dave Canales says Young can still be a franchise quarterback, but I doubt that’s anytime soon.

I am morbidly fascinated to see if Young’s fall impacts how teams treat rookie QBs going forward. Yes, every set of circumstances is different, but take note of New England having yet to play Drake Maye. This year’s No. 1 pick, Caleb Williams, is struggling in Chicago, for what it’s worth.

In today’s column, Mike expanded on whether NFL QB treatment is at a tipping point. Read it here.

Pulse Polls: A little introspection

Cris Tiller / USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Deion Sanders is polarizing for fans and media members alike, which made his comments in a Tuesday news conference stand out to me. Here’s the relevant quote:

“Once upon a time, you guys never attacked college players. Now they’re making more money than y’all, and some of y’all are envious and jealous about that, so you’re on the attack.”

He’s talking about media criticism of college players, and while I have plenty of thoughts on the matter, I want to make sure I’m seeing the field clearly on Deion right now.

Today’s Pulse Poll question is simple: Do you think Deion’s right? Your choices: 

• Yes, and I’m glad he’s talking about it. 
• No. It’s always been this way. 
• I’m tired of Deion and I don’t care. 

Make your voice heard here.

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Watch and Listen

📺 WNBA: Dream at Liberty
7 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Final night of the WNBA regular season. An Atlanta win clinches a playoff berth. A loss opens the door for Chicago or Washington — who also both play tonight — to swoop in for the No. 8 seed. Winner gets New York, so … good luck. Playoff projections here.

📺 MLB: Phillies at Mets
7:15 p.m. ET on Fox
New York is tied for a wild-card spot, while Philly is on the road to clinching the NL East shortly. Plus these two big fanbases having good teams at the same time is great for the sport.

📺 NFL: Patriots at Jets
8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video

New England could easily be 2-0, and I still don’t know what the Jets are. We will learn things here. Mainly, I’m curious to see Aaron Rodgers’ comfort level now that he’s played two full games in his Jets tenure. If the Jets start 1-2 this year, the finger is already hovering over the panic button.

Stream games like these here and get tickets here.

🎧 “The Athletic Hockey Show” is ready for NHL training camp, starting with the best seven goalie competitions heading into the season. Listen here.

Pulse Picks

Fran Tarkenton hasn’t played an NFL game in 46 years. Yet, as Alec Lewis writes, he’s still scrambling. 

Make time for Chris Vannini’s in-depth report about where conference realignment in college sports goes next. We might have to draw some more maps.

I thought Ken Rosenthal’s column on the Detroit Tigers was interesting. This is a team finally emerging from the cellar — so why does everything feel more stressful?

An incredible story from Dennis Lin, who figured out the identity of the player on a 2021 Jackson Merrill baseball card. (Hint: It’s not Merrill.)

A darkly funny thing to read in light of Manchester City’s possible financial charges: a fantasy draft to redistribute Man City’s superstars across the Premier League. Haaland to Everton? Oh buddy. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Zillow for Michael Jordan’s house. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Juan Soto hit his 200th home run Tuesday, but the biggest news was his telling comment on free agency afterward.

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