Minter restructures contract

PAT YASINSKAS
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PHOENIX --Veteran safety Mike Minter has restructured his contract, assuring he'll spend another season with the Carolina Panthers, according to a league source.

With the Panthers expected to look for youth at safety in the April draft, Minter agreed to a deal that creates $1.43 million in salary-cap space. Minter's base salary for 2007 was dropped from $2.15 million to the veteran minimum of $820,000. His salary-cap figure dropped from $3.35 million to $1.92 million. The move leaves the Panthers with about $9.5 million in salary-cap space.

League sources said the Panthers have advised Minter of their desire to get younger at safety and that he has agreed to stay with the team in whatever role is available. Minter could be a backup if two young safeties are ready to play immediately, or could remain a starter if the team isn't comfortable with the development of the young safeties.

Minter is the only safety on the roster with much experience. Shaun Williams and Colin Branch, who shared a starting role last season, are free agents and aren't expected to return. Second-year pro Nate Salley was primarily a special teams player.

The Panthers could target LSU's LaRon Landry or Florida's Reggie Nelson with the 14th overall pick in the draft.

 

tells me we're either drafting for both safety spots or signing a FA and drafting the other.

 

Kind of interesting that we have made some moves to open up some cap space but have not used any of it. It seems like we either plan to be active in the later part of free agency or we plan to extend Peppers and or Smith. I guess it is also possible we plan to move up in the draft and need cap space to sign the guy.

 

Yep. I also wonder why they're clearing more room. They have plenty to sign draft picks. There must be something else going on, or at least that they want to go on.

 

It could just be good business to get guys like Morgan, Rucker and Minter to play for less since they are either on the decline or big injury risks. It is hard for me to see them doing that though given their history of overpaying guys like that.

 

Signing Smith might take up room, but not a ton. He's three years into his contract so the salaries have started to go up.

Peppers probably won't cost cap room right now. You take big salary away and the new deal has tons of bonus so it doesn't matter. Doing something with his contract gives you money for right now.

Signing Gross would - but they won't sign JG until after they take care of Smith and Peppers. He's not as core a player, the market for OL has been ridiculous, and there's the matter of ego in market negotiation. You give Gross a contract before 89 or 90, and you're simply going to have to pay through the nose in appeasement.

They wouldn't sign Wharton because of the injury.

there's not much else that I could think would require much cap room, in-house.

 

Think it could be a QB?

 

Gibril Wilson

 

for the 2nd round pick? No thanks

 

What QB is out there that would take up enough cap space to make these moves necessary? Certainly not a guy like Carr or Harrington.