"The offseason chips seem to be falling in place for a Carolina Panthers team that suffered through an abysmal 2-14 finish in 2010.

After locking up four of their core players during the first two days of free agency, the Panthers apparently will be keeping their top receiver.

Pro Bowl wideout Steve Smith told ESPN's Adam Schefter today that he had met with Panthers general manager Marty Hurney and coach Ron Rivera and told them he plans to remain with the team this season - and perhaps longer.

"For me, I'm always going to be a Panther," Smith told Schefter. "They took a shot on me when I was coming from nowhere and now I'm going into my 11th year in the league. This will be where I retire, whether that's five years from now or one year from now."

Smith, in response to an email query from the Observer, said he wasn't talking about his future any more today."