Offseason Forecast: Panthers
Around The League examines what's next for all 32 NFL teams. David Ely hits the Panthers. **More ...**
Well, at least the Carolina Panthers don't play favorites. They're equal-opportunity salary-cap slashers.
Chris Gamble, the organization's all-time leader in interceptions and third-longest tenured player, was released Friday.
Center Ryan Kalil, tight end Greg Olsen and free safety Haruki Nakamura all were asked to restructure their contracts.
Now offensive tackle Jordan Gross, the Panthers' second-longest-tenured player, is being asked to do the same, two league sources told the Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person.
"There's two sides to football -- the football side and the business side," Gross told Person. "In the offseason, you deal with the business side.
"Right now, the Panthers and I are trying to work out the best solution to help this team move forward."
Gross, 32, was the No. 8 overall draft pick in 2003 and has two Pro Bowls (2008, 2010) on his resume. He has a base salary of $8.7 million in 2013 and $6.7 million in 2014 (the final year of his contract) As is, Gross will count $11.7 million against the cap in 2013 -- the second-highest on the Panthers behind Charles Johnson's $13 million. The restructured deals for Kalil and Olsen did not subtract from their overall pay. Nakamura, who lost his starting job, took a $500,000 hit on his re-worked contract.
If those are indicators, Gross might have some money moved around and/or converted to a signing bonus. Either way, Gross doesn't want to go anywhere else.
"I'd love to be a part of the equation for success in 2013. This is just something that has to get worked out."
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
