Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas
Saturday's news that the Carolina Panthers reached a contract agreement to keep defensive tackle Damione Lewis from becoming an unrestricted free agent doesn't seem like a big deal on the surface.
Lewis has been nothing more than a solid backup the past two seasons. But there's an underlying current that makes this deal a lot bigger than it seems.
Going forward, the Panthers may be thinking of Lewis, a former first-round pick and starter in St. Louis, as one of their starters. If I had to make a prediction right now, I'd bet that Kris Jenkins will not be on Carolina's roster come September.
That may seem more than a little surprising because Jenkins is a three-time Pro Bowler and was, by far, Carolina's best defensive lineman last season. But there's a lot more going on behind the scenes.
The Panthers unsuccessfully tried to trade Jenkins before last season. When they couldn't get a first-round pick in return, they pulled him off the market and Jenkins and the team had to swallow their pride. He came back and produced and wasn't a problem in the locker room.
But I look for the Panthers to shop Jenkins again and, this time, the price tag might be something considerably less than a first-round pick. Something has to give here because the player and the franchise aren't on the same page on a lot of things. Jenkins has made it clear he's not a big fan of living in Charlotte and the team's not crazy about a guy who marches to his own music and doesn't act like one of coach John Fox's robots.
Jenkins has said he loves the Washington area (where he spends his off-seasons) and Panthers general manager Marty Hurney should be shopping him to the Redskins and Ravens before the rest of the league.
Jenkins, who still can be dominant at times, might thrive in a new environment and he should have some market value. But the NFL isn't big on trades, especially when 31 other teams know one team wants to unload a player. That could lead to a scenario where the Panthers get nothing for Jenkins.
But unloading him still could work to the advantage of a team that needs to free up salary cap room. Unlike last year when salary-cap ramifications meant the Panthers would have taken a big hit if they let Jenkins go, they simply can cut him this time around.
That scenario may be tempting because Jenkins is scheduled to count $5.5 million against the 2008 salary cap. If he's released, the Panthers would free up $3 million in cap space. Keep an eye on this situation in the next couple of weeks because Jenkins is scheduled to receive a $1 million roster bonus in early March.
