The monster that is the Kraken.....

[Oldmanrivera]

That's my Panther!!!

(See sig)

 

You best update that before hardy finds out.

[DjNoto]

Props to Hurney . It can't be said enough. Huge steal 

[Cape Fear Cat]

I'll say again, I have confidence that if there's a way to keep him, Gettleman will make it happen. The difference bertween this and the RB deals and other contracts Hurney got us into is that Hardy has nothing but upside. You MUST keep those players who bring fire and effort to the game, as well as outstanding performance. They are the core that gives strength to the whole.

[Seamonk]

I think we franchise him if he doesn't give a hometown discount. If anything, maybe a team gets baited to give us 2 first rounders ;)

[NanuqoftheNorth]

In a perfect world Hardy would play his entire career as a Panther.

However, if he expects to be paid like CJ, he may need to go elsewhere to get it.

[DaveThePanther2008]

This game is played with a couple studs and then a lot of talented young players.

 

I want us to keep him but now Kraken went from mid-level money to top dollar and we just don't have the space for it.

 

Last thing we want to do is tie money up in 5 or 6 players and then expect us to remain good.   Cut CJ and keep Kraken is about the only idea I have on it but we would have dead money no doubt.

 

If this were Gettleman's 3rd or 4th season maybe we could have saved him but the mess Hurney put us in will prevent us from keeping him.

 

I just don't see it happening.  I will be ecstatic if we do but I am highly doubting it.

[Sasquatch]

We will sign him longterm. The issue is the guaranteed money. Any contract will be friendly in year 1 and 2. After that it gets expensive.

 

 

IF we could pull this off, that would be ideal since that's also when the bulk of the cap space that Hurney signed away is able to be freed. But we'll also be dealing with Luke and Cam and will have to find a replacement for Gross and Smitty (whose replacements will not come cheap).

[Achilles]

Well...first of all...he already plays for a playoff team and a Superbowl contender.  Isn't that what all players are essentially looking for?

 

Hardy deserves to get paid like a top 5 DE.  He has been the best player in the league at his position in the last 4 weeks.  But honestly, Hardy is a smart guy.  I'm sure he has other criteria for signing with a franchise in addition to big money.  He can get big money just about anywhere (within the division or without).

 

Where else is he going to have a CJ type rusher on the other side, two huge physical DTs to eat up the middle and the leagues best LB duo behind him?

 

Surely Hardy understands that his production, while impressive, is still predicated on a team effort.  Surely he realizes that signing a huge contract with a team like Buffalo or Houston or whatever might yield nice bank, but wouldn't be professionally satisfying because he'd be sitting at home watching January football on his couch.

 

I know players have to think about their futures and are not likely to take less money for such a brief, risky career.  But if the guy likes to win football games, he might think about taking slightly less $$$ to stay with the franchise that developed him from a diamond in the rough to the mythological beast he has become.

 

Will he choose with his head or his heart?  

[DaveThePanther2008]

Well...first of all...he already plays for a playoff team and a Superbowl contender.  Isn't that what all players are essentially looking for?

 

Hardy deserves to get paid like a top 5 DE.  He has been the best player in the league at his position in the last 4 weeks.  But honestly, Hardy is a smart guy.  I'm sure he has other criteria for signing with a franchise in addition to big money.  He can get big money just about anywhere (within the division or without).

 

Where else is he going to have a CJ type rusher on the other side, two huge physical DTs to eat up the middle and the leagues best LB duo behind him?

 

Surely Hardy understands that his production, while impressive, is still predicated on a team effort.  Surely he realizes that signing a huge contract with a team like Buffalo or Houston or whatever might yield nice bank, but wouldn't be professionally satisfying because he'd be sitting at home watching January football on his couch.

 

I know players have to think about their futures and are not likely to take less money for such a brief, risky career.  But if the guy likes to win football games, he might think about taking slightly less $$$ to stay with the franchise that developed him from a diamond in the rough to the mythological beast he has become.

 

Will he choose with his head or his heart?  

 

100% agree.   Sadly he won't be doing the thinking.  I will be his MF agent feeding him all the B.S. in the world. 

 

I will predict that if he goes elsewhere he won't have the success he has here.  Those others on the DL make it possible for him to be the KRAKEN that he is.

 

I just hope he tells his agent he wants to remain a Panther and hopefully something is worked out.

 

[panthers55]

IF we could pull this off, that would be ideal since that's also when the bulk of the cap space that Hurney signed away is able to be freed. But we'll also be dealing with Luke and Cam and will have to find a replacement for Gross and Smitty (whose replacements will not come cheap).

Hurneys contracts were bad because they guaranteed too much money that we were stuck paying. We can pay him 8-10 million a year and fit it under the cap. All it takes is drafting for example a OT with the first pick then the need to pay Gross 8-10 million is gone.The same with any player. I suspect we also have almost 8-10 in dead cap space this year that is coming off the books. If we get rid of anyone it would be restructuring Stewart's contract like we did with Beason last year in order to release him down the road.

[Carolina Cajun]

You best update that before hardy finds out.

 

Image size is too big now for what is allowed by the board rules (which I assume changed around week 9 because thats when I couldn't change mine either), so to change it, you lose the image associated with the sig or like I did resize it in photoshop.  That explains why everyones adopted panthers stopped being updated around week 9.

[Sasquatch]

Hurneys contracts were bad because they guaranteed too much money that we were stuck paying. We can pay him 8-10 million a year and fit it under the cap. All it takes is drafting for example a OT with the first pick then the need to pay Gross 8-10 million is gone.The same with any player. I suspect we also have almost 8-10 in dead cap space this year that is coming off the books. If we get rid of anyone it would be restructuring Stewart's contract like we did with Beason last year in order to release him down the road.

 

Hurney definitely spent some money. Cleaning that up has hurt and will continue to hurt. We carried just short of 19 million in dead money this year and already have over 12 million (8 for Beason) in dead money counting against next year's cap but I don't think we're in a position where we have to simply let a talent like Hardy walk. We show over 12 million below the projected  cap for 2014. Add 13 million or so that we can carry forward from this year and whatever we COULD gain from restructures and we have space to make market offers to our guys. 

[Sasquatch]

Hurney definitely spent some money. Cleaning that up has hurt and will continue to hurt. We carried just short of 19 million in dead money this year and already have over 12 million (8 for Beason) in dead money counting against next year's cap but I don't think we're in a position where we have to simply let a talent like Hardy walk. We show over 12 million below the projected  cap for 2014. Add 13 million or so that we can carry forward from this year and whatever we COULD gain from restructures and we have space to make market offers to our guys. 

 

Something just hit me. There's over 10 million in dead money to hit our cap from the latest Gross restructure. That might be hitting us after the optiion takes effect on the 5th day of the league year. I don't know if that can be designated for June 1 and split.

[rko396]

I always get pissed thinking about the cap hell we're in.....

..... Then i remember Dallas. $31Mill OVER the cap heading into next year :) have fun Jerrah