Some Panthers in labor limbo

In any other year, the Carolina Panthers probably would not have so many contract issues.

 

But if the uncertainty over the league's labor future has made one thing clear, it is that this is no ordinary year.

 

The Panthers always have been proactive in locking up young players to contract extensions. But a combination of events leading to the lack of a labor deal beyond 2010 means they have not yet, and may not until after this season.

 

That means core players are left waiting for new deals. The smart ones understand the business realities, since owner Jerry Richardson's place on the league's negotiating committee practically guarantees he is going to take a harder line than most. One agent said "all deals are on hold with Carolina."

 

"This year more than any I've ever seen, the business is rearing its head," said left tackle Jordan Gross, who went through a two-year quest for a long-term deal. "With Mr. Richardson being at the spot he's at in the negotiating team and all that, I think he's got to walk the walk and talk the talk. And he's doing that."

 

This offseason, linebacker Jon Beason acknowledged he would have to wait for his payday despite peers DeMeco Ryans and Patrick Willis getting monster deals. Likewise, linebacker Thomas Davis seems resigned to playing under his one-year restricted free agent tender of $3.268 million. Running back DeAngelo Williams is not making an issue of it, but said last week "I'd love to be here. But somebody has to show me that they want me to be here."

 

In previous years, going back to players such as Dan Morgan, Mike Minter and Mike Rucker, the Panthers have been forward about writing extensions to keep their own. In the past 10 years, the Panthers have been in the top half of the league in payroll five times, and only twice have they been lower than 22nd, in the cap-strapped years of 2002 and 2007.

 

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney did not want to delve into the topic, but he has never been bashful in the past, which makes this offseason stand out.

 

"We've said before that keeping our core players together is important to us; I think our history has shown that," Hurney said. "However, as a matter of club policy, we don't comment on the status of individual players where they are currently under contract or under tender."

 

Part of the hesitance because of the unknown labor future. Without a new deal, no one knows whether there will be a salary cap, how big it will be, or whether the rules for free agency will change. So while they have a lot of business to do once a labor deal

 

is reached, they also lack many contractual entanglements, having dumped the bad ones without penalty this offseason.

 

It's a good position to be in come 2011, but the short-term question is what the strategy will do to the product on the field.

 

The Panthers released 66 years of organizational experience with the offseason purge. They are faced with questions about their pass rush, receiving corps and the quarterback position. The moves have left Carolina unproven and thin, leaving little to no margin for error if injuries pile up.

 

And while it's easy for Gross to sound an optimistic tone since he has a contract, he urged teammates to trust in the direction of the team.

 

"Mr. Richardson has been completely honest with me my whole career here, with anything he's ever told me," Gross said. "Anything he ever told me came to fruition in contract terms or roster moves or anything."

 

Carolina Panthers· running back DeAngelo Williams (left) and team General Manager Marty Hurney walk off the field Thursday at the Panthers practice field.

- DAVID T. FOSTER III /DAVID T. FOSTER III-dtfoster@cha

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·         Lots of work to do

A partial list of the players on the Panthers roster who could be unrestricted free agents after 2010:

QB Matt Moore: Now that he's a starter, he could make a huge financial leap with a solid season.

RB DeAngelo Williams: Convoluted "30 percent rule" makes it hard to pay him now, and the presence of Jonathan Stewart creates a debate as to how much they should spend at the position.

WR Dwayne Jarrett: A prove-it year for the former second-rounder.

TE Jeff King: A solid citizen and contributor.

C Ryan Kalil: Would be hard to franchise tag because of his position, and set to get rich after making his first Pro Bowl.

DE Charles Johnson: Gets chance to deliver on the potential he's flashed as the replacement for Julius Peppers.

DTs Tank Tyler, Louis Leonard and Ed Johnson: Whoever emerges among them stands to cash in.

LB Thomas Davis: Coming into his own as a player and a leader, he deserves to get paid.

LBs James Anderson and Jamar Williams: Not indispensable pieces, but you would think they would want to keep one of them for the future.

CB Richard Marshall: His future likely lies elsewhere since they might not be able to pay him what he wants.

- Darin Gantt