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David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The move was something one would expect from former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, known for his exuberance on and off the field. Maybe Baker Mayfield. Or Brett Favre in his prime.
Not Bryce Young.
The soft-spoken 23-year-old goes out of his way not to draw attention to himself. He might not be the first NFL quarterback you’d expect to pull off a flashy move since Carolina made him the top pick of the 2023 draft.
But there Young was during Sunday’s season finale, standing inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with his back to the play and his hands in the air signaling a third quarter touchdown before his fourth-and-1, 12-yard pass reached tight end Tommy Tremble in the middle of the end zone.
It was dubbed the “Steph Curry” move because it was reminiscent of the Golden State Warriors star — who is also a North Carolina native and huge Panthers fan — turning and running up the court after launching a 3-pointer before it reached the bottom of the net.
Curry even acknowledged his approval on his Instagram story on Sunday, posting a picture of Young with his back to the play with his personal message: “Confirmed.”
Curry wasn’t the only star who loved Young’s move after Carolina’s 44-38 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Newton posted the video with the message: “that is NASTY wrk @_bryce_young. thats.Boogie.approved!!”
thát īš ÑħT¥ wrk @_bryce_young thátš.ßØØG1Ė.ápprøvēd‼️
-1ØVĖ🤟🏾 https://t.co/6Oz3lW8wyu— Cam Newton (@CameronNewton) January 6, 2025
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, selected with the second pick of the 2023 draft, and others chimed in as well.
Young said he could feel the “love” from social media, teammates and coaches. Asked where the move came from, he bashfully smiled and said, “I don’t know. Just a reaction. I never thought about it or planned on anything like that. It crossed my mind, just be happy.”
The move might have seemed uncharacteristic for most who have watched Young from afar, but not from teammates who see that side of him all the time.
“He’s got fire. He’s got swag,” coach Dave Canales said on Monday as the team wrapped up a 5-12 season. “He’s got a whole lot of that to his game and he’s handling it in the right way. He’s letting it come to him with humility and hard work.”
Guard Robert Hunt said it’s definitely in Young’s DNA to make such a move.
“That was Steph Curry-ish, and he likes Steph Curry,” he said. “I respect him.”
Tremble wasn’t surprised at all by the move, but didn’t realize how “really cool that really was” until he saw the video later.
“I love seeing him be himself, make plays and have fun,” he said. “He’s a baller and that’s what ballers do … Since the day he got here we’ve been seeing that the entire time. Now the whole world is seeing it.”
The world has seen Young grow from a potential bust after being benched following an 0-2 start to his second season to a player Canales now calls “absolutely” the team’s franchise quarterback of the future.
Young played so well the second half of the season that there’s optimism the team can turn around a string of seven straight losing seasons.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen, 34, said the celebration was just a great example of Young’s growth in confidence as a player and leader.
“I don’t think you could ask anyone in this locker room and they would say it was a surprise to them,” said Thielen, who didn’t rule out this being his last season despite being under contract for 2025. “That’s who he’s been. He’s a guy who is confident when he can be himself. And when he feels he’s earned that right to be himself, things happen.”
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