Panthers sign Dalton to 2-year extension reportedly worth $8M

The Carolina Panthers are signing quarterback Andy Dalton to a two-year extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal is worth $8-million with $6-million guaranteed, including a maximum value of $10-million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Dalton was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. He's been with the Panthers since he signed a two-year contract in 2023.

Dalton has appeared in nine games with six starts since landing with the Panthers. He started five games last season after head coach Dave Canales benched 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young.

Young won the job back in November and is expected to be Carolina's starting signal-caller for the 2025 season.

"Me and Andy are super close," Young said, according to team reporter Darin Grant. "From when I first got here, just being able to talk with him through things, him having perspective on a situation that I had never been a part of, I was always leaning on him, always having conversations and just from a day-to-day basis."

Dalton was Cincinnati's primary starting quarterback for nine seasons after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2011. The 37-year-old has 1,350 passing yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions in two seasons with the Panthers.