A Center, A Retiree, A Running Back & A Loss
By John White
The Carolina Panthers should have opened up a newsroom Tuesday for everything that is going on with players and former players. There is much to cover – a roster move for a center, one player is cashing in his chips, a running back is re-signed and one player lost is likely about to sign on elsewhere.
The Panthers placed a second-round tender offer on center Geoff Hangartner with a contract due him of $1.47 million if he stays put for next season. Any team that signs him away from Carolina will have to forfeit their second-round draft pick to get him, making it much less likely he’ll be leaving the team. The team also placed a low tender offer of $927,000 on guard/tackle Evan Mathis, a backup last season. (Rock Hill Herald)
Hangartner is a valuable player along the offensive line since he can play both guard positions and the center spot. He could be a valuable piece of the puzzle next season for the Panthers who are attempting to rebuild their offensive line. However, it appears that they are also content to retain many of the same linemen from the ’07 squad.
A former Panther is coming home to retire. (
)
Stephen Davis
will sign a one-day contract with the team so he can retire a Panther. Davis is a fan favorite for a reason. He finishes his career with 8,052 yards and 65 TD’s (30th on the all-time list).
While Davis may have had his best statistical season with the Redskins, it was his contribution in 2003 that helped to lead Carolina to the NFC Title and the Super Bowl.
Alex Haynes
, a backup running back with Carolina, was re-signed to a one-year deal worth $370,000. His six career touches don’t exactly guarantee him a spot on the roster next season.Meanwhile, the team was working on restructuring the deals of cornerback
Ken Lucas
and defensive tackle
Maake Kemoeatu
.
Finally, former Panthers running back
Deshaun Foster
is apparently going to sign on with the
49ers
. This sounds like a broken record, I know, but now the local media types (
) have their sights on this story. It’s no longer just a report from the Great Spittle One himself,
John Clayton
.A deal is expected to be announced in the Bay Area within a couple of days.