"DeAngelo Williams would love to be a Carolina Panther next season.

He just doesn't know whether or not it's going to happen.

Like so many things in the NFL these days, Williams' future remains up in the air. His contract is up after this season, but with no collective bargaining agreement in place, it's still a little unclear exactly what that means.

Will he be an unrestricted free agent? Can the Panthers use the franchise tag to keep him? And, most importantly, will there even be football?

All of these things will be determined if and when the owners and players come to an agreement.

"I'm the first one to admit I have no idea what's going to happen," Williams said Monday in his first interview since going on injured reserve with a sprained arch. "I don't even know if there will be football next year. I am just preparing myself to play football if it is possible for us to play. I'm trying to put myself in the best situation to get my foot right."

At the time Williams went on IR, coach John Fox said it would take about "two to three weeks" before Williams would be ready to get back on the practice field but made the move because the Panthers needed the roster spot because they had so many injuries.

Williams said he lobbied against the move, but ultimately accepted the team's decision.

Since then he's been working on rehabbing the foot.

He said he's been running and lifting weights and the foot is coming along just fine and that doctors tell him he won't need surgery.

In the meantime, Williams is cheering on his teammates and waiting to hear from the Panthers organization about a possible new contract.

He said there's been some talk between the Panthers and his agent, but no offers have been exchanged.

"I would love to be a Carolina Panther, but if they have other things they want to do — because there is a lot of stuff that has to be done here — they have to address those issues," Williams said."