I am hearing way, way too much revisionist history on the topic of the Panthers and Jake Delhomme which discounts or downplays what a horrible nightmare of a contract GM Marty Hurney signed Jake to just 11 months ago. Meanwhile, do not forget that the Chicago Bears will sign Julius Peppers tonight and the Panthers will get exactly nothing in return for a Pro Bowl DE.
How does Marty still have a job?
By shrewdly managing the media via things like releasing Jake the same day that Pep signs elsewhere — and steadfastly pretending that money has nothing to do with anything. To be perfectly clear, Hurney opted to lock Jake up with a long-term deal, not Peppers. At the time anyone with a pulse understood what Jake’s $20m. guarantee meant, that sooner or later the Panthers would have to shed talent and contracts to make Jake’s deal work. The count is now three starters besides Peppers, all “paying for” Jake’s massively out-sized contract.
Marty’s youth movement meme at his presser today could also provide cover for parting ways with FB Brad Hoover and WR Mushin Muhammad — not to mention DE Tyler Brayton and OG Keydrick Vincent. Or four more starters. (Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd is also almost certainly gone as well — does that mean John Kasay is at risk too?)
Half the starting line-up may wind up in the crosshairs — all due to the shambling horror of Jake’s contract.
As I said earlier, for all this fire-sale discounting to make a lick of sense in terms of fielding an actual winning team, Marty must — must — spend some money in the free agent market, something he also said today that the Panthers would not do.
Signing DE Aaron Kampman — who would love to get back to a 4-3 scheme — would be a clear sign that the Panthers are not just going to mail it in next year. Kampman’s high-motor would also help Carolina fans forget Peppers’ on-again, off-again approach to the game.
But don’t hold your breath — as some nut said last April when Jake inked The Contract That Shall Not Be Named, “Jerry Richardson may have just crippled his franchise for years to come.”
