Steve Smith, the longtime face of the Carolina Panthers, finally met with general manager Dave Gettleman this week, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about it.
"Here's all I have to say about it," Smith told ESPN on Thursday. "I am working out and doing all the things as I am a Carolina Panther. That's where I am. And I'll continue to move forward until I am told otherwise."
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the Panthers' brass was vague and elusive about Smith's future with the team. Neither Gettleman nor coach Ron Rivera would commit to Smith, possibly suggesting the receiver might be cut or asked to take a pay cut. Smith didn't take too kindly to that, saying he would have appreciated a heads up that his job was in jeopardy.
Working as an analyst for ESPN at Clemson University's Pro Day on Thursday, Smith was evasive about his future.
"Like every offseason, they are making moves and making decisions that are going to be, moving forward, for the betterment of the team," Smith said. "Those decisions and those conversations, I don't know all of them. I'm not in the meeting rooms. But we talked about some things. And what we talked about it is what we talked about."
Smith will turn 35 this spring and his production has slipped rapidly. The Panthers have a desperate need to add receivers, but they aren't committed to keeping the most well-known player in the team's history. After his meeting with Gettleman, Smith said he's prepared for all futures.
"It's a business and I understand that, and ultimately decisions aren't up to me," he said. "I'm a player. At the end of the day, if a team decides to move on, I have to either accept that or I go sit at home and cry about it. So we'll see."
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