Carolina defensive tackle Kris Jenkins skipped a voluntary team workout, a month after the Panthers failed to trade the three-time Pro Bowl selection. Jenkins was one of only two players -- and the lone starter -- who missed the first day of three weeks of practices. While the sessions are voluntary, players usually attend. "Do we wish he was here? Sure," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "It's a voluntary session and he chose not to be here. It's all we can do."

NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus, whose client Damione Lewis could benefit from Kris Jenkins' departure, told the Observer that he believes the team still hopes to trade Jenkins. "I don't have any insight on it, but what I've heard is he's definitely still on the market and for the right price, they would trade him," Rosenhaus said before speaking at a Charlotte Touchdown Club luncheon. "So it'll be interesting to see what happens." Sources said the Panthers made Jenkins, a three-time Pro Bowler, available to other teams for a first-round pick before and during the NFL draft last month, but didn't receive a satisfactory offer. Team officials have since said Jenkins would remain with the team.

Keyshawn Johnson has caught the damn ball in the NFL for the last time. Johnson, who played a great game and talked one as well during an 11-year career, retired Wednesday despite several offers to continue playing. He'll soon be expressing his strong opinions on ESPN. "I wouldn't trade my career for anyone's," Johnson said at a news conference on the USC campus, where he starred before the Jets made him the first overall selection in the 1996 draft. "I've done everything I wanted to do in my career," he said. "I just couldn't find one thing that could drive me back to playing football. As I learned from Bill Parcells -- the circus doesn't stay in town very long." Johnson has agreed to a multiyear contract, and will appear on several ESPN telecasts, including pre-game shows on Sundays and Monday nights, and do some radio work as well.

Keyshawn Johnson will announce his retirement Wednesday, ending an NFL career in which the outspoken receiver was once one of the game's biggest threats. He will join ESPN as a sportscaster and disclose his plans at a news conference in Los Angeles at USC, where he starred in college. "After Keyshawn's announcement that he will retire, we will announce we are signing him to a contract," ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said. Last month, Johnson worked the NFL draft for ESPN, which was impressed enough to offer him a job. He was released by the Carolina Panthers days after the draft.

Receiver Steve Smith agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Panthers on Tuesday in a deal that will keep him with the team through the 2012 season. His agent, Derrick Fox, said he wasn't authorized to release exact figures, but said Smith's new deal makes him among the five highest-paid receivers in the NFL. "Steve wanted to complete his career with the Panthers and bring Carolina a Super Bowl," Fox said. "This gives him peace of mind."

SI.com has learned the Oakland Raiders and the Tennessee Titans are the leading contenders to sign the recently released Keyshawn Johnson. The Seattle Seahawks are also interested in the wide receiver.

Jerome Stanley, the agent for wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, told ESPN.com's John Clayton on Wednesday that "several teams have expressed interest in Johnson and that he does have offers." Stanley would not identify the teams that have made offers to Johnson, who was cut Tuesday by the Panthers, but he added, "Based on the offers, Keyshawn will be playing in the NFL this season."

The Panthers released Keyshawn Johnson on Tuesday. "They said they wanted to get younger,'' Johnson said. "That's fine with me. I'd like to go somewhere and help someone win another Super Bowl.'' Johnson, 34, spent the weekend working for ESPN in New York during their NFL draft coverage and will undoubtedly receive offers to work in broadcasting. But his first choice is to play another season or two. The move was somewhat surprising since the Panthers paid Johnson a $3-million roster bonus April 1. Carolina drafted Southern Cal receiver Dwayne Jarrett and also have Keary Colbert.

Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins will sit down with coach John Fox this week to discuss the three-time Pro Bowler's future with the team. According to a source close to Jenkins, he wants to talk to Fox about how he fits into the team's plans. That meeting will come before Friday's minicamp. If Jenkins is convinced he still figures into the plans for this season, he'll take part in the minicamp. Jenkins had been dangled as trade bait for about a month leading into the NFL draft. The Panthers made it clear they wanted a first-round pick in exchange for Jenkins. Several teams wanted him for a lower price and weren't willing to meet Carolina's demands.