CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The flurry of phone calls will eventually come. Last-minute inquiries and offers that Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney must address.
But "address" does not mean "consider," and it certainly doesn't mean "accept."
With the NFL's trade deadline less than a week away _ teams have until 4 p.m. next Tuesday (Oct. 29) to make deals _ there's a palpable buzz around the league this week. That includes in the Panthers locker room, where rumors and speculation have run rampant the past few days.
But they're just rumors. According to a league source, barring any sort of major injury or deadline offer, Hurney and the Panthers are expected to let the trade deadline come and pass quietly.
Arguably, as they should.
The modern NFL is shifting to a place where players have greater control of their own career paths; disgruntled for one reason or another, players across the league are speaking out when they're unhappy with their situations. Just because that movement is becoming more commonplace, though, doesn't mean it's always in a team's best interest to partake.
Sometimes, the best deal is keeping exactly what you have.
