"DeAngelo Williams wanted to talk more about his foot than his future.

The Carolina Panthers tailback, out for the season with a sprained right arch, spoke with reporters Monday for the first time since being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 17. Williams, the Panthers' all-time rushing leader, was reluctant to discuss his impending free agency. But after giving anon his foot, he said he hopes to remain with the team that drafted him out of Memphis in the first round in 2006.

"I love being a Carolina Panther. I don't want to go anywhere," Williams said. "It's not my decision, though."

Williams said the uncertainty surrounding the Panthers' coaching staff and the NFL's labor situation made it difficult to predict where - or if - he'll be playing in 2011.

"I have no idea what's going to happen. I don't even know if there's going to be football next year," he said in the locker room. "I just know I'm preparing myself to play football if it's even possible for us to play. I'm trying to put myself in the best situation, to get my foot right."

Williams was injured in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' lone victory - a 23-20 win against San Francisco on Oct.24. He initially did not think the injury was serious, but the long recovery time forced the Panthers to place him on IR to clear roster room after a series of injuries.

Despite playing in just six games, Williams remains Carolina's leading rusher with 361 yards on 87 carries. He has resumed jogging and said his foot is close to 100 percent.

He rushed for a team-record 1,515 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2008, and went to his first Pro Bowl last season when he and Jonathan Stewart became the NFL's first backfield tandem to run for 1,100 yards apiece.

Williams, 27, is in the final year of his original, five-year rookie deal worth $9million. With Panthers coach John Fox reported to be on his way out in five weeks, Williams said the status of running backs coach Jim Skipper would weigh in his decision."