The Panthers want to keep him. He wants to stay. He\'s successful in this system and has developed a strong relationship with offensive coordinator Dan Henning and wide receiver Steve Smith, who will also remain, as soon as they finish an extension for him.

Delhomme is also grateful to the Panthers for the opportunity to start, after sitting on the bench for six years with New Orleans. He will likely end up with a deal smaller in numbers but similar in structure to the one New England quarterback Tom Brady signed after he came out of nowhere to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl three years ago.

After Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe and led the Pats to their first title, they rewarded him with a four-year extension worth nearly $30 million in new money. Brady received a $3.5 million signing bonus at the time of the deal, with another $6 million option bonus the following spring. He had low base salaries in 2002 and 2003, but they rose to $5.5 million in 2004 and 2005, and $6 million in 2006, the final year of the deal.

Delhomme\'s deal probably won\'t reach those levels. After all, Brady was 25 when he signed the extension prior to the 2002 season, and the Panthers quarterback turned 29 during the playoffs, meaning he doesn\'t have the same long-term potential Brady did at the time.