Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said he thought his future was “bright,” but he doesn’t know if it will be in Charlotte.
Smith, appearing with ESPN’s Josina Anderson at Clemson’s Pro Day, didn’t reveal much about his recent meeting with Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman.
But if he knows his own future, he did a good job of concealing it.
“I am working out and doing all those things as I am a Carolina Panther,” Smith said. “That’s where I am, and I’ll continue to move forward until I’m told otherwise.”
Asked if he thought he’d be told otherwise, or if he was prepared to play elsewhere, he dodged.
“It’s a business and I understand that and ultimately decisions are not up to me,” Smith said. “I’m a player, and at the end of the day if a team decides to move on, I either have to accept it or I go sit at home and cry about it.”
At some point, Smith’s brilliant 13-year run with the Panthers will come to an end. At this point, it’s clear that’s up to Gettleman, who hasn’t shown himself to be as concerned with loyalty or bedside manner as he is the cold evaluation of talent.
