Kawann Short's rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers is about to come to an end which means he's about to get an offer from the team anytime soon. However, negotiations for his contract are still underway and it seems the athlete is using a simple strategy to push the deal in his favor.
As reported by various sources, Short's contract negotiations with the team stalled temporarily which allegedly made him miss out on the Panthers' offseason team activities last week. But, even though talks for a potential new deal have resumed, it seems he still has no plans of attending this week's OTAs, according to Black and Blue Review.
His absence from the workouts could be intentional and a way for him to send a message to the Panthers. If this works, then the team could give in and offer him a big contract.
But then again, according to Ron Rivera, the head coach of the Carolina NFL franchise, he's not worried about Short's absence. He even noted that it has nothing to do with the status of his contract with the team.
"Because it's voluntary, he decided not to come," Rivera told ESPN. "That's the only thing I can tell you. It's one of those things that he has to decide what he wants to do, and because it's voluntary, we're not too concerned about it. We'll coach who's here."
"He's under contract and he'll do the things that he's supposed to do, and the things that are voluntary, he'll just decide what he wants to do," he added. "We'll live with that, and as I said, we'll coach the guys that are here."
But, everything could change next week once the mandatory minicamp of the Panthers begin. If Short still doesn't show up, then this would clearly indicate that he's not happy with how the negotiations are going.
In the meantime, Rivera is focusing his attention on Vernon Butler, another defensive tackle of the Panthers.
"You're seeing a young guy who's learning and growing," he said about the young athlete. "He's doing some good things and making some mistakes, but you see his athletic ability, you see his explosiveness."
