It was nice knowing you DeAngelo

[Marguide]

Could we release him and then re-sign him?

Sure, but that doesn't really change anything cap-wise. We essentially could do the same thing by re-structuring and that eliminates the chance he signs elsewhere.

That's assuming we want to keep him.

[CRA]

D Will is better thn Stew, who can barley walk at this point. Cut Stew, and draft a back.

Healthy?

A 30 yr old Williams isn't > than a 26 yr old Stewart. That is next year....

Williams was essentually benched the last 2 seasons bc Stewart is more complete. Stewart was jus banged up all year.

[Matthias]

Sure, but that doesn't really change anything cap-wise. We essentially could do the same thing by re-structuring and that eliminates the chance he signs elsewhere.

That's assuming we want to keep him.

I think he still has a lot to offer from the RB position, just need a good fullback. Yet then again, it would probably be best to let him go, so we can get the full usage out of Tolbert as a RB.

[carpanfan96]

Healthy?

A 30 yr old Williams isn't > than a 26 yr old Stewart. That is next year....

Williams was essentually benched the last 2 seasons bc Stewart is more complete. Stewart was jus banged up all year.

That's not the complete case, it's a question of if Williams at 30 is better then a player who hasn't really been healthy but for a very short time in his NFL career which at this point is in it's fifth year. He's had constant Ankle and foot issues his whole career so far. On the other hand you have a RB that is about to hit the dreaded 30 year old mark. Honestly with the way the contracts are made up and the cap issues the team has, it's better to get rid of both of them. Run Tolbert who honestly fits the Offense better then both of them. Then have Smith and Poole as the back ups or pick up one in the draft or as an UDFA.

[Swaggasaurus]

Here's a breakdown of DWill's contract numbers that the new GM will see when he takes over this offseason...

2013: $7.95 million cap hit

2014: $8.95 million cap hit

2015: $9.95 million cap hit

$26.85 million total over three years to keep him. Besides the cost it's also important to note that he'll be 30-32 years old during the final 3 years of this contract.

Now, if we release Williams we still have to deal with some dead money. If we designate Williams as a June 1st cut, this would be his cap hit...

2013: $3.2 million, giving us $4.75 million more cap space

2014: $6.4 million, giving us $2.55 million more cap space

2015: $0 giving us $9.95 million more cap space

By releasing him we have to suck up $9.6 million in dead money but we still end up with a staggering $17.25 million total in extra cap space over three years. Given that the Panthers are going to be ~$4-5 million over the cap heading into the offseason (and next year doesn't look much better) I don't think there's any chance DWill is a Panther next season.

Even if he agrees to take a reasonably sized pay cut I think the cost of keeping him would still be too high. He would have to cut his base salary at least in half, probably more, to stick around and players generally aren't willing to take that big of a pay cut. And in DWill's case he probably feels he's still an elite player and only dropped in production due to being poorly utilized by the coaching staff.

The only way I see him sticking around would be if we promote Brandon Beane to permanent GM. All the massive contracts Hurney dished out in 2011 were laughable when compared to other deals being signed around the league. Any outside GM is going to want to dump this contract (and probably a few others) ASAP.

You should make a thread breaking down more contracts like this by cap hit. Namely Beasons, Andersons, Godfreys and Gross'. Gamble is probably worthy of his.

[Pimpdaddy]

...Dwill doesn't look like he has the same enthusiasm he had a few years ago. Guess he has nothing to prove or hes getting tired of hitting the line and no where to go. seems to go down easy and always takes the sideline out rather than turning up field and making a move...he looks slow and not very explosive to me...he got dat money...

[chknwing]

deangelo is still productive. id trade stewart first

[PantherPhann89]

I think that DeAngelo Williams will restructure his contract to remain here. Everyone on the huddle seems to be in love with Stew. I like Stew and love his combination of speed and strength, but not as our primary back, he can't stay healthy enough.

[Kevin Greene]

God Hurney was a fugging moron.

It's truly amazing how many people thought Hurney was a good GM or even better a Cap Genius.

[Kevin Greene]

deangelo is still productive. id trade stewart first

Stewart has had foot/ankle issues form Day 1.

Hurney was and is a complete idiot for drafting 28 2 years after drafting Dwill.

Here's hoping DWill restructures and somehow we get value for Jonathon Stewart.

[KJ89]

I see the light.

[Matthias]

Trading Stew would be a bigger cap hit than getting rid of D-Will. If we wanted to trade Stew, it should have been before we gave him that contract. So everyone who wants to trade guys like Stew or Beason, you don't trade away guys you just gave big contracts to.

[TylerVagyler]

You should make a thread breaking down more contracts like this by cap hit. Namely Beasons, Andersons, Godfreys and Gross'. Gamble is probably worthy of his.

i second this ^^

[carpanfan96]

Trading Stew would be a bigger cap hit than getting rid of D-Will. If we wanted to trade Stew, it should have been before we gave him that contract. So everyone who wants to trade guys like Stew or Beason, you don't trade away guys you just gave big contracts to.

With the way his bonuses are set up his cap hit would actually be lower. lol