While the Panthers officially agreed to terms with one of their draft picks — not named Byrce Young — the first overall pick has already made his first major move with his new organization.
On Tuesday, Carolina announced that Young will officially wear jersey No. 9 with the Panthers.
Young will continue to wear the same number that he sported in college at the University of Alabama, where he won the Heisman Trophy award and finished among some of the program’s all-time greats. Young leaves the Crimson Tide with the second-most passing yards (8,356) and passing touchdowns (80) in program history.
The No. 9 was previously worn by fellow quarterback Matt Corral, who missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. According to the team website, Corral had requested to wear No. 2 before the 2023 NFL Draft. That number was previously worn by former Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore, who ironically enough was a part of the trade package for Young.
While Corral revealed a cryptic message on social media shortly after the Panthers decided to make Young their quarterback of the future, he wouldn’t have been able to don the number he had at Ole Miss and high school without the trade.
The NFL world reacted to Young’s first major move with the Panthers on social media:
Notable NFL QBs to wear #9 include Drew Brees, Steve McNair and Sonny Jurgensen. https://t.co/W74ZgFTF2X
— Anish Shroff (@ShroffPxP) May 2, 2023
Stamped https://t.co/NGBOjtUgLH
— The Way I See It (@704SportsGuy) May 2, 2023
Now let’s start printing those preorder jerseys
https://t.co/JaOJ8ZWYvi — Al (@biakabutuka21) May 2, 2023