Thomas Davis expects Panthers teammate Kawann Short to get paid soon
Short is up for a contract extension and coming off the best season of his career
By
Jared Dubin
•
2 min read
Back in 2013, the Carolina Panthers drafted defensive tackles with each of their first two selections. The first was Star Lotulelei, who has developed into a very nice piece up the middle, especially against the running game. The second was Kawann Short, who last season took a major leap and became a true defensive star. The 2016 campaign saw Short make the Pro Bowl for the first time as he picked up 11 sacks from his position on the interior defensive line and finished third among all defensive tackles in Pro-Football-Reference's Approximate Value.
Heading into the final season of his rookie deal, Short is now eligible for a contract extension. Considering he's set to make only $1.4 million next season, he's not exactly being paid in a manner that is commensurate with his production right now, so his teammate, outside linebacker Thomas Davis, thinks he'll see that extension pretty soon.
"The way the league is right now [salaries] are slotted for players. You're expected to get a certain [number] based on what you've done and what the guys before you have done," Davis said, per the Charlotte Observer. "So I'm pretty sure that Mr. Gettleman (general manager Dave Gettleman) is a smart man, and he's proven that. And I'm pretty sure they'll come to an agreement and he'll get something worked out. He knows how valuable KK Short is to our football team."
The Panthers, who were in salary cap hell not too long ago, actually have pretty clean books beyond this season, and especially beyond 2017, They currently only have significant guarantees commitments to Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, and Ryan Kalil in 2018, and the only players signed to contracts above $2.6 million beyond that point are Newton and Kuechly. So they should be able to fit a new deal for Short on the books fairly easily. The only question is how much he'll get paid.
"As players we understand that this thing is a business. We understand that Mr. Gettleman has a job to do," Davis said. "But at the same time, KK's agent (Joel Segal), he has a job to do as well. He's representing his client. And you've just got to let it take care of itself."
The top of the defensive tackle market has exploded over the last few years as teams have gradually realized how important interior pressure is. There are now four players (Ndamukong Suh, Fletcher Cox, Marcell Dareus, and Gerald McCoy) with $90-plus million contracts, and all of them received at least $50 million in guaranteed money. Short may not be in line for that much if he signs an extension, but if he has another big season, he could easily join that group.
