Source: Kawann Short to report to Panthers camp despite lack of deal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short will report to training camp on July 27 despite the absence of a long-term extension, a league source told ESPN.com
Short is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He skipped two weeks off offseason workouts when negotiations to extend his contract stalled, but reported for a three-day mini-camp in June.
General manager Dave Gettleman said earlier this year that extending Short, who led Carolina in sacks this past season with 11, was a priority. But Gettleman made it clear in June that he wouldn't mortgage the future of the organization to sign one player.
"Everybody has got to do what's best for them, and you deal with it,'' Gettleman told ESPN.com at the time. "The market is the market.
"Since I've been here, I never have said, 'Let's see how cheap we can get this guy.' No. It's about being fair. It's nothing more than that. He gets a fair wage and we both get a fair contract. That's what it's about. It's not about winning.''
The market for top defensive tackles, based on recent deals by the Philadelphia Eagles' Fletcher Cox and Muhammad Wilkerson of the New York Jets, is around $17.2 million a year.
Cox got a six-year, $103 million extension with $63 million guaranteed. Wilkerson got a five-year, $86 million extension with $53 million guaranteed.
Short is set to make just over $1 million this season and count $1.4 million against the salary cap. The Panthers are believed to be looking to pay Short, a second-round pick in 2013, in the $13 million to $15 million a year range.
