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In a season with outstanding quarterback play all around the NFL, Carolina's Jake Delhomme is struggling, and that could force the Panthers to seek options in less-than-ideal shopping conditions next offseason.
The draft could be loaded with top-end quarterback talent, but the Panthers don't have a first-round pick.
Free agency is rarely a way to land a starting quarterback, and the pool could be even weaker than usual if the 2010 season turns out to be an uncapped year, a strong possibility because of stalled negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
And the next move will be greatly influenced by who's making the decisions. General manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox so far haven't spent an early-round draft pick on a quarterback. They could adjust that strategy, or a regime change could bring a philosophical shift.
For now - at least for today's 4:15 p.m. game at Arizona - the quarterback job still belongs to Delhomme, who hasn't been the same since committing six turnovers in a 33-13 home playoff loss to the Cardinals on Jan. 10, his 34th birthday.
Delhomme has thrown four touchdown passes this season, none to his wide receivers, and leads the NFL with 13 interceptions, seven of which have led to touchdowns for the opponent.
Despite Delhomme's poor play, there is support for him within the Panthers' organization. One prominent viewpoint: He's in a slump and needs a confidence boost, and it would be premature to judge what he has left by his current problems.
Support for that position will be across the field today. Arizona's Kurt Warner, a two-time league MVP with the Rams, saw his career fizzle in St. Louis, where he was let go before the 2004 season. He spent the next year with the Giants before landing with the Cardinals, where he struggled before rediscovering his passing touch.
Last season, he led Arizona to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. He's playing well again this year at age 38.
Even at his best, Delhomme's career hasn't approached Warner's, and his hold on the Panthers' starting job never has been more precarious.
Fox contemplated a switch to Matt Moore or A.J. Feeley early in the week, partly to give Delhomme a break, but decided to stick with the status quo for today's game at Arizona.
Even with the reprieve, Delhomme's future with the Panthers is in doubt, especially with an increasingly frustrated fan base clamoring for change.
Unless he has a dramatic in-season revival, the weeks and months ahead could bring a transition that will be both painful and complicated.
Passing to win
The Panthers are a run-first team in a league that's becoming increasingly pass-oriented.
Ten quarterbacks are on pace to throw for 4,000 yards this season, which would break the previous single-season record of seven, set in 2007.
The league's three remaining unbeaten teams - Indianapolis, New Orleans and Denver - each are 6-0 thanks in large part to the fact that quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Kyle Orton have combined to throw 38 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Seven quarterbacks have a passer rating of better than 100, and their teams are a combined 37-8.
Delhomme never has put up those kinds of numbers, but he has consistently kept his passer rating in the mid- to upper-80s throughout his seven years with Carolina.
But so far this season, Delhomme's rating is 56.5, 32nd in the league.
Part of what exacerbates the situation for the Panthers is they don't appear to have a successor on hand.
Josh McCown (31 career starts elsewhere) was a legitimate alternative before suffering an injury in the opening game and landing on injured reserve for the season.
Third-year man Matt Moore has some supporters but clearly hasn't wowed coaches and team officials. Veteran A.J. Feeley appears to be a temporary backup for this season only.
College talent aplenty
If the Panthers go on to a post a dismal record, their pick would be in the top half of the 2010 draft - and it'll be made by the 49ers.
The Panthers dealt their first-round selection to San Francisco in April so they could select defensive end Everette Brown in the '09 second round. The Panthers also obtained an '09 fourth-round choice in the deal, used to select running back Mike Goodson.
Depending upon how the Panthers finish, the pick the 49ers have could be high enough to have a shot at the half dozen or so college quarterbacks projected as first-round possibilities.
The 2010 draft class already is set to include Texas' Colt McCoy, Florida's Tim Tebow and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (assuming his ailing shoulder responds well to season-ending surgery).
Juniors who could join the mix include Washington's Jake Locker, Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen and Mississippi's Jevan Snead.
If all of those players are in the draft, it's possible some of them could be available after Round 1. Players such as Cincinnati senior Tony Pike also could be options.
And Carolina isn't automatically shut out of the first round. The Panthers could use future currency again and deal away their 2011 first-rounder to try to climb back into the 2010 opening round.
Free agency snag?
The last time the Panthers went looking for a starting quarterback was in 2003, Fox's second season as coach. They didn't try to develop a young prospect or trade for an established starter, but rather signed Delhomme as an unrestricted free agent.
Delhomme had been impressive in preseason and during spot playing time during the regular season with the New Orleans Saints.
He came to Carolina as a five-year veteran ready to step into a starting role. He helped lead the Panthers to a Super Bowl in his first season and has guided them to two other playoff appearances.
The chances of Carolina discovering another up-and-comer like Delhomme, or someone with a more established background, figures to be impacted by whether or not the NFL and the players association strike a deal for a new CBA before early March.
If no bargaining deal gets done, the 2010 season is scheduled to be uncapped, setting in motion changes in the free agency system that could dilute the pool of available talent.
An uncapped year would negate the current rule allowing four-year veterans whose contracts are expired to become unrestricted free agents and put in place a six-year requirement.
If Delhomme had been under such a system in 2003, he would've been a restricted free agent and couldn't have freely signed with the Panthers.
Quarterbacks who stand to be affected by such a change next year include Denver's Orton and Washington's Jason Campbell.
Campbell, in particular, might still be available via trade and also could get released if his tenuous hold on the Redskins' starting job disintegrates further.
Quarterbacks who meet the six-year requirement and could be on the open market mostly are castoffs. That list includes McCown, injured Miami starter Chad Pennington, St. Louis' Kyle Boller, Houston's Rex Grossman and Giants backup David Carr, who already has had one unsuccessful stop in Carolina (2007).
There also could be players available via trade. Cleveland, for instance, is likely to deal away at least one of their two quarterbacks, Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn. Both, however, have played poorly for the Browns, one of the NFL's worst teams, so it's unlikely they'd excite fans in Carolina or any other city.
Situation could change
But it's only November and much could change in the next few months, including a Delhomme resurrection.
One year ago, it would have been difficult to envision Denver trading away quarterback Jay Cutler, but the Broncos made a coaching change after the season and shipped him to Chicago. Denver's compensation included two first-round picks and Orton as a throw-in.
Today, Orton is unbeaten and playing better than he ever did with the Bears, who are 3-3 with Cutler.
How the Panthers go about trying to solve their quarterback quandary with such an unpredictable landscape is uncertain.
But this much is sure: There doesn't appear to be a simple solution.
