Another ‘When?’ is Answered

There wasn’t a whole lot of doubt the Panthers would give LB Thomas Davis an extension, but much like with QB Cam Newton, it was mostly a matter of when.Carolina’s 2005 first-round pick had said time and again that he wouldn’t play anywhere else, and from a team perspective, the 2014 NFL Man of the Year provides tremendous value on and off the field.The process toward Davis’ deal didn’t go as smoothly as many expected. Earlier this month, a league source indicated the two sides were at a standoff, but that ended this weekend. An agreement was reached Saturday, and Davis put pen to paper Monday.

The Shaq Thompson Torch Handoff Remains on Schedule

When Davis announced LB Shaq Thompson as the Panthers’ top pick in the draft, the correlation was perfect. The veteran, who also came into the league after playing both safety and linebacker in college, was on stage naming the guy who will eventually take over his spot.[vc_column_inner fade=”” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″]Or at least, that’s what the Panthers hope. And the extension guarantees no one will be in much of a rush.Even though Davis claimed Thompson “is a better athlete than I was at this point,” the rookie faces a steep learning curve. Davis will be 34 when his new deal expires, and considering how he’s played since turning 30, there’s a chance he could be around even longer.When coach Ron Rivera was asked Monday about having Davis around for two more years, he immediately responded: “Minimum. Minimum.”[vc_column_inner fade=”” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/2″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html]”He’s a very unique athlete, a very special athlete. He does some things that really you can’t coach. We get the credit for it, but you just can’t coach some of the special things that he does because there really is only one Thomas Davis.”

Another Domino Falls for Dave Gettleman

While many fans focus on the year ahead during the offseason, that’s not what a general manager does. A good one balances his build in the present with solid planning for the future.When this offseason started, Carolina GM Dave Gettleman looked into the Panthers’ future and saw 24 players entering the final year of their contracts. That meant he had a lot of work to do in 2015 for 2016 and beyond.“You have to be forward thinking. It’s a huge puzzle, and you have to take everything into consideration,” Gettleman told BBR at the Senior Bowl in January. “You can’t all of a sudden say, ‘Oh, somebody’s up.’ You have to plan ahead. You can’t put yourself in a corner where now you’re pressured.”Gettleman got the extension ball rolling in March by giving TE Greg Olsen three more years, and so far in June, he tacked on five years to Newton’s deal while extending Davis two more seasons.The Panthers also picked up the fifth-year option on LB Luke Kuechly’s contract this spring, but Gettleman wants to get the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year locked in with long-term deal sooner rather than later.