Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson made it pretty clear this off-season that he views offensive tackle Jordan Gross as an indispensable part of the team's future. Gross was one of five players Richardson invited to his lake house for a talk about leadership, a strong indication he figures Gross will be around awhile.

   But as of right now Gross' future remains up in the air.

   With only 10 days remaining before the regular season opener, the Panthers have not had any serious discussions about extending Gross' contract, according to his agent Ethan Lock.

   "We haven't heard from them," Lock said matter-of-factly.

   The only reason this is mildly interesting is because Gross is heading into the final year of his contract, which means he becomes an unrestricted free agent next March. That makes Gross' situation more pressing than that of Julius Peppers, who has two years left on his contract.

   Gross has said in the past he'd prefer to have a deal in place before the season so it isn't hanging over his head all year. But Gross is an easy-going guy and I doubt not getting a new contract would affect his performance. But it might be a bit of a relief to Gross to get it over with so he can focus on football.

   Now to be clear, just because a deal isn't done today doesn't mean it's time to push the panic button.

   The Panthers can still get a deal done anytime between now and March.

   The inherent danger is that sometimes when a top-notch player like Gross gets a whiff of free agency, he's less likely to re-sign with his former team and more inclined to test the market and see what's out there. If it comes to that, the Panthers could always place the franchise tag on Gross, which would pay him the average salary of the top five highest-paid players at his position for the 2008 season. The Panthers have never been a big proponent of using the franchise tag, but if talks were to stall that might be an option down the road.

   Obviously, neither side wants it to come to that -- and, let me emphasize again, we're a long way from that point right now.

   Nonetheless, I'm a little surprised talks haven't begun to heat up. But hey, like I said, there's still plenty of time.

   In the end, I think things will work out and Gross will be a Panther for a very long time.