With way too much money already invested in quarterback Jake Delhomme, the Carolina Panthers have yet to tie up any long-term cash in heir apparent (absent a house cleaning) Matt Moore.
Steve Reed of the Gaston Gazette (via Rotoworld) reports that the team has yet to offer a long-term deal to Moore.
Moore is eligible for restricted free agency, and the Panthers likely will apply at least a first-round tender to the former Oregon State quarterback who led Carolina to three straight wins to close out the 2009 season.
But with a lame-duck head coach, it makes no sense to commit significant future dollars to Moore. If there’s a new head coach in 2011, the new head coach will want his own quarterback. If the new coach decides that it’s Moore, then the new coach can get Moore signed.
With ample regret surely flowing from the $20 million in guaranteed money given to Delhomme after a 2008 postseason meltdown, the last thing the Panthers should be doing is plunking down even more big money for a quarterback who might not deserve it.