Will the

saintfan · 01-30-2004, 01:10 PM

Jan. 12, 2004

The Panthers expect to have most of their team back intact next season, and we hear two of the stars of their run to the postseason likely will be re-signed by March. QB Jake Delhomme went from free-agent acquisition to starting quarterback after the first half of the first game of the season, and sources say the team will make an effort to extend his contract and make sure he is paid at the level of an NFL starter. WR Steve Smith also is expected to ink a deal relatively quickly, although the Smith situation could come with a few more problems than DelhommeÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢s. Smith has said before that he believes he should be paid on the same level as other top wide receivers, but his production really hasnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢t been at the same level of the top pass catchers in the game for very long. The Panthers are willing to reward Smith for a stellar season, in which he made 88 catches for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns, but they arenÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢t going to be offering him Randy Moss-like money. If Smith demands such a contract, the Panthers will be willing to let him walk if another team is interested in signing him as a restricted free agent.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW...HI/default.htm

The title of this thread was truncated for some reason. At any rate, this is the second bit of printed info I've managed to locate an Jake's coming raise, which brings into question the "cheap" QB theory. Just how much it WILL be is anyone's guess. How many millions defines a "Starter" wll be told soon enough I rekon.

[Edited on 30/1/2004 by saintfan]

01-30-2004, 01:10 PM	#1
saintfan Donated Plasma Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 18,556 Blog Entries: 5	Will the Jan. 12, 2004 The Panthers expect to have most of their team back intact next season, and we hear two of the stars of their run to the postseason likely will be re-signed by March. QB Jake Delhomme went from free-agent acquisition to starting quarterback after the first half of the first game of the season, and sources say the team will make an effort to extend his contract and make sure he is paid at the level of an NFL starter. WR Steve Smith also is expected to ink a deal relatively quickly, although the Smith situation could come with a few more problems than DelhommeÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢s. Smith has said before that he believes he should be paid on the same level as other top wide receivers, but his production really hasnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢t been at the same level of the top pass catchers in the game for very long. The Panthers are willing to reward Smith for a stellar season, in which he made 88 catches for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns, but they arenÃƒÂ¢Ã¢Â‚Â¬Ã¢Â„Â¢t going to be offering him Randy Moss-like money. If Smith demands such a contract, the Panthers will be willing to let him walk if another team is interested in signing him as a restricted free agent. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW...HI/default.htm The title of this thread was truncated for some reason. At any rate, this is the second bit of printed info I've managed to locate an Jake's coming raise, which brings into question the "cheap" QB theory. Just how much it WILL be is anyone's guess. How many millions defines a "Starter" wll be told soon enough I rekon. [Edited on 30/1/2004 by saintfan]