rivera talks about smith...

[rayzor]

Rivera said he had a good conversation with veteran wideout Steve Smith, who has hinted at wanting out of Charlotte (and had his house on the market last year). Smith, who has two years left on his contract, could be stuck if there is a prolonged lockout.

Rivera indicated he expected Smith, at a minimum, to participate in the team's minicamp (provided a new CBA is in place in time for teams to stage minicamps).

“We have to go through the process and see how things fit and where he sees it. It's a touchy thing,” Rivera said of Smith. “We're going to have to wait until everything's cleared up and see where he is.

“But also, we've got to have our minicamp and all that when we get the opportunity and see how he fits with it, and see how it fits him and see if it's what we need and what we want, and we'll go from there. As far as I'm concerned, he's a part of what we are right now.”

http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/

major point in the last sentence of that quote...he's in the plans "right now".

fwiw...he also said that clausen is rehabbing from his foot surgery in charlotte as opposed to going back to ND to work on his degree. there was some discussion about what clausen was doing this semester and where he was going to be.