As the Carolina Panthers prepare for a training camp that will be critical for coach John Fox, their highest-profile draft pick is the team’s only rookie who has not yet signed a contract.
Darin Gantt of the Charlotte Observer points out that quarterback Jimmy Clausen, a second-round selection but Carolina’s first in the 2010 draft, and the Panthers have yet to strike a deal.
Complicating matters most likely is the desired (by the player) inclusion of language aimed at paying him like a starting quarterback once he becomes one. Haggling over such terms prompted former Browns first-rounder Brady Quinn to hold out in 2007, which kept him from being in position to replace Charlie Frye, who was traded after only a week. Which opened the door for Derek Anderson to claim the job. Which threw the quarterback position into a three-year quagmire.
To date, Quinn has yet to reach any of the triggers aimed at unlocking escalators that would have paid him like a starter.
Clausen has a separate issue with which to contend -- the perception that he’s not a team player, and not a good leader. Holding out would do nothing to dissuade folks from concluding that the holdout is about one thing: the fact that everything is all about Jimmy.