Carolina Panthers Part Ways With Jake Delhomme

NFL News - March 5th, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

The Carolina Panthers took a huge gamble on Jake Delhomme last year, and he turned in his worst season as a pro.

Realizing there wasn't much of a trade market for him, and letting him stick around wasn't the answer, team executives chose option C. On Friday, the Associated Press reported that Carolina has cut Delhomme, and eaten his $12.5 buyout, which paves the way for upstart Matt Moore to be the team's starter in the opener.

The buyout is what Delhomme was guaranteed when he signed a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension last summer.

Delhomme only played in 11 games last season, but was fourth in the league in interceptions. It was rough from the very beginning, when he turned it over five times against the Philadelphia Eagles and he had three games with at least three picks. By Week 12, his season was over due to a broken finger, allowing Moore to step in for the balance of the season.

The Panthers' personality changed almost overnight as the third-year vet from Oregon State won four of the last five games, including victories over the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.

At the time, general manager Marty Hurney said the Panthers still had faith in Delhomme, and were set on bringing him back in 2010. After all, he had created such a favorable track record in the past, leading the franchise to it's only Super Bowl, that is seemed plausible he could rebound.

"This move doesn't change anything about his future," Hurney said in December. "We feel the same about Jake as we did yesterday before we put him on I.R. We've made it clear we have confidence in Jake."

Delhomme also holds nearly every passing record in franchise history.

But the team opted to give Moore a high restricted free agent tender of $3.043 million, and appear to have turned over the reigns.

There's also the possibility that Carolina will explore a trade for Michael Vick. The reformed quarterback spent the last year in Philadelphia, but said he wants to be a starter in the league. He told reporters earlier in the week his dream club would be the Panthers because he likes the uniforms and would have a chance to play his former club, Atlanta, twice a year.

Carolina was 8-8 last season and had the 27th-rated passing offense in the league. Only six teams had fewer touchdown passes than the Panthers, which still makes them a questionable bet in NFL Betting Odds. Currently, they are a 35/1 underdog to reach the 2011 Super Bowl, according to Bodog.