Carolina Panthers Rumors: Should Carolina Keep Jeremy Shockey?

The Carolina Panthers had an offensive renaissance in 2011, thanks in large part to rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

They also added two key receivers in tight ends Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey to make Newton's rookie year easier.

Both tight ends contributed to the offense. Olsen had 45 catches for 520 yards and five touchdowns, while Shockey had 37 catches for 455 yards and four scores.

When the Panthers gave up their 2012 third-round pick to acquire Olsen from the Chicago Bears last summer, they signed the tight end to a four-year, $24 million contract extension that kicks in this year.

Shockey, who had been cut by the New Orleans Saints, was on a one-year deal in Carolina. In many ways, he was brought in as a fallback option in case the Panthers couldn't find a long-term answer at tight end.

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski found ways to use Shockey and Olsen on the field together and this means the Panthers face a decision about whether to keep Shockey.

The Panthers don't currently have a young tight end who's ready to step into even a featured role as a second tight end. Third tight end Ben Hartsock is a blocker who went without a catch in 2011, while Gary Barnidge (who spent the season on injured reserve) has just 12 catches in his four seasons on the Panthers roster.

Tight end may be a draft priority, but the decision on whether to keep Shockey will happen before April's draft.

Shockey made $3.8 million on his one-year deal in 2011, which was a fair price given his production. Would he return for a similar one-year deal for 2012? If so, the Panthers would be interested.

But if Shockey, entering his 10th season, wants one more multi-year contract, he will likely end up out of the Panthers pay range. That would be a shame, because he fits well in Carolina on the field, but fits on the field aren't always fits under the salary cap.


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Posted at 6:00 AM. Labeled under Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, Jeremy Shockey, NFL, Robert Neely, Rumors .