The Panthers will show interest in veteran cornerback Asante Samuel if the Eagles make him available, according to a source. However, Samuel's big contract would be a stumbling block in a potential trade with the Panthers, who committed more than $272 million last week to five of their core players. The Panthers likely would need Samuel to restructure his contract.

The Panthers have agreed to a contract with first overall pick Cam Newton, according to a source. Newton will make $22 million over a four-year deal that is fully guaranteed. The contract is worth $56 million less in overall money than the Rams gave Sam Bradford, last year's No. 1 overall pick.

The Bears have traded tight end Greg Olsen to the Panthers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2012 draft, according to a league source. Olsen then agreed to a four-year, $24 million extension with $10 million guaranteed, added a source. "I think it's bittersweet," Olsen said. "I've made it clear since the day I got here that I've really enjoyed my time here in Chicago. My plans all along, obviously, were to play my career here. ... The guys on the team have been awesome. And the fans obviously are second to none and this city really embraces their team. ... At the same time, I feel like for my career and going forward to go join a team that has so much promise and the guys they have in place already down there. And [offensive coordinator] Rob Chudzinski [is] a guy that I know from my college days. And what he's done with tight ends and how his offense focused around that position. So I feel like it's a great opportunity for me going forward and it's something I'm looking forward to."

The Panthers and middle linebacker Jon Beason have agreed to a $50 million contract extension that includes $25 million in guarantees, according to sources. "Turn on the tube," Beason wrote on Twiiter late Thursday night. "Jon Beason the highest paid MLB (middle linebacker) in the league. The news breaks now." On Wednesday night, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said re-signing Beason to a long-term contract was a "very high priority" and something he wanted to get done soon.

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith now says he wants to remain with the team now and in the future. "For me, I'm always going to be a Panther," Smith said. "They took a shot on me when I was coming from nowhere and now I'm going into my 11th year in the league. This will be where I retire, whether that's five years from now or one year from now." Smith, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, did have lengthy discussions with his wife about what they wanted to do in the future and where they wanted to be.

The Panthers have reached an agreement with running back DeAngelo Williams on a five-year, $43 million deal, according to sources. The deal includes $21 million in guaranteed money. Williams holds Carolina's franchise mark for career rushing yards (4,211) and rushing touchdowns (31).

The Panthers weren't going to let prized defensive end Charles Johnson get away. Carolina persuaded Johnson to agree to a contract worth $72 million over six years and that includes a $30 million signing bonus. "The Panthers told me the whole time they were going to come after me hard," Johnson said. "I had to see it to believe, but they did."

The agents for first overall pick Cam Newton aim to have their client signed quickly with the Panthers, according to a source. Newton is expected to report to the team's facility in Charlotte on Tuesday while his deal is being negotiated.

A little-known rule from 2010 has temporarily kept Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis from being a free agent this year, according to a source. Davis, considered one of the most talented linebackers in this year's free-agent market, spent last season on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a knee reconstruction. Because he missed the season, his $3.268 million salary from 2010 passed to this season and put him under contract for the 2011 season, according to the source said.

It has been reported that NFLPA representatives were told in a presentation Wednesday that Cam Newton would make roughly $22 million in the first four years of his contract. Newton, the first overall pick by Carolina, would have been paid much more handsomely under the old collective bargaining agreement. To put the deal in perspective, Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with the Rams last year. He got $50 million guaranteed.