CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) —Former Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, who led the Cavaliers to an ACC Coastal Division title and an Orange Bowl appearance in 2019, will sign with the Carolina Panthers ahead of the team’s final preseason game, the organization announced on its website Sunday.
The 28-year-old Perkins was a backup for the Los Angeles Rams from 2020-2022. This past season with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL, he was the league’s MVP.
Former No. 1 overall draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is the Panthers’ starting quarterback. Carolina also has veteran backup Andy Dalton and second-year player Jack Plummer at quarterback. Dalton, Young’s backup, suffered a right elbow injury early in the team’s Saturday preseason game at Houston.
Most teams do not play starters in their preseason finales, so Plummer and Perkins are likely to get the work behind center for Carolina when it hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Perkins, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound Arizona native, played two memorable seasons with UVA. He owns the school’s single season passing record after throwing for 3,538 yards in 2019, and the record for total offense in one year (4,307 in 2019). Perkins is the program’s career leader in total offense (7,910 yards) and his 47 career touchdown passes are third all-time for the Cavaliers.
Perkins ran for 1,692 yards from the quarterback position, also a career record at Virginia.
