Post by jcappy on Feb 23, 2015 16:15:05 GMT -5
Any interest? Constant injury history, more or less on the down side of his career..got him out there now along with (potentially) Spiller, Vereen, Ridley, Murray, Gore, AP...RB market is gonna be hot
espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12370157/deangelo-williams-released-carolina-panthers
Panthers cut RB DeAngelo Williams
espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12370157/deangelo-williams-released-carolina-panthers
Panthers cut RB DeAngelo Williams
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers have released all-time franchise leading rusher DeAngelo Williams, the running back told a Charlotte television station.
Williams told WBTV in an exclusive interview on Monday that he was cut by the Panthers last week during a meeting with coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman.
DeAngelo Williams has 6,846 career yards rushing and 46 rushing touchdowns since the Panthers made him the 27th pick of the 2006 draft.
"We sat down, and he told me, 'The fact of the matter is we're going to have to release you,'" Williams told the station. "I said, you know, 'Why?' and he said, 'because we don't run the ball enough. Just like you said back before the season started, we don't run the ball enough to keep you and [Jonathan Stewart] both, so we're going to release you.'"
Carolina will save $2 million in salary-cap space by designating Williams a post-June 1 cut. Williams has one year left on his deal. He is scheduled to count $6.3 million against the 2015 salary cap.
Gettleman wouldn't go into details at the combine about his talk with Williams last week.
"I spoke to DeAngelo. We had a great conversation. It's confidential. It's between us," Gettleman said. "DeAngelo had a tough season. He lost his mom who he was very close to. Then came the season and he just couldn't stay healthy. It was really hard for him.
"Then he broke his hand against Minnesota. That's hard. Especially when you're 32 (in April). But he finished the season like a pro's pro and like a man's man. I really respect DeAngelo for the way he finished it."
Asked directly if Williams would be a part of the team in 2015, Gettleman said, "I'm going to leave it where I just left it."
A team spokesperson said Williams has not officially been released and that no transaction is expected on Monday.
Williams had been going to rehab at Bank of America Stadium, a league source said. A team cannot release a player that is injured without an injury settlement.
Williams told WBTV the entire conversation lasted around 10 minutes and was the last he has heard from the team. Williams said he doesn't "feel bitter at all."
"[Stewart] had the hot hand at the end of the season," he told WBTV. "He's a great running back, obviously, uh, I don't feel bitter at all. It's a business. And that business comes back and reminds us year after year -- whether it be Steve Smith, whether it be Jordan Gross, whether it be myself -- it's going to happen to every guy in that locker room, so it doesn't bother me at all."
The Panthers released Smith, their all-time leading receiver, in the offseason last year. Williams, 31, has been with Carolina since it made him the 27th pick of the 2006 draft. He has 6,846 career yards rushing and 46 rushing touchdowns.
Injuries limited him to six games in 2014. A broken hand late in the season allowed Stewart to step up and take the bulk of the carries. Stewart was one of the leading rushers in the league over his final six starts, including two playoff games, with 594 yards.
Williams told WBTV in an exclusive interview on Monday that he was cut by the Panthers last week during a meeting with coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman.
DeAngelo Williams has 6,846 career yards rushing and 46 rushing touchdowns since the Panthers made him the 27th pick of the 2006 draft.
"We sat down, and he told me, 'The fact of the matter is we're going to have to release you,'" Williams told the station. "I said, you know, 'Why?' and he said, 'because we don't run the ball enough. Just like you said back before the season started, we don't run the ball enough to keep you and [Jonathan Stewart] both, so we're going to release you.'"
Carolina will save $2 million in salary-cap space by designating Williams a post-June 1 cut. Williams has one year left on his deal. He is scheduled to count $6.3 million against the 2015 salary cap.
Gettleman wouldn't go into details at the combine about his talk with Williams last week.
"I spoke to DeAngelo. We had a great conversation. It's confidential. It's between us," Gettleman said. "DeAngelo had a tough season. He lost his mom who he was very close to. Then came the season and he just couldn't stay healthy. It was really hard for him.
"Then he broke his hand against Minnesota. That's hard. Especially when you're 32 (in April). But he finished the season like a pro's pro and like a man's man. I really respect DeAngelo for the way he finished it."
Asked directly if Williams would be a part of the team in 2015, Gettleman said, "I'm going to leave it where I just left it."
A team spokesperson said Williams has not officially been released and that no transaction is expected on Monday.
Williams had been going to rehab at Bank of America Stadium, a league source said. A team cannot release a player that is injured without an injury settlement.
Williams told WBTV the entire conversation lasted around 10 minutes and was the last he has heard from the team. Williams said he doesn't "feel bitter at all."
"[Stewart] had the hot hand at the end of the season," he told WBTV. "He's a great running back, obviously, uh, I don't feel bitter at all. It's a business. And that business comes back and reminds us year after year -- whether it be Steve Smith, whether it be Jordan Gross, whether it be myself -- it's going to happen to every guy in that locker room, so it doesn't bother me at all."
The Panthers released Smith, their all-time leading receiver, in the offseason last year. Williams, 31, has been with Carolina since it made him the 27th pick of the 2006 draft. He has 6,846 career yards rushing and 46 rushing touchdowns.
Injuries limited him to six games in 2014. A broken hand late in the season allowed Stewart to step up and take the bulk of the carries. Stewart was one of the leading rushers in the league over his final six starts, including two playoff games, with 594 yards.
