"Wide receiver Steve Smith was nowhere to be found Thursday as players gathered for the final day of informal workouts at Charlotte Christian, but teammate Cam Newton said Smith did participate in drills earlier this week which certainly qualifies as news.

Newton said he had a chance to speak to Smith and throw some passes to the four-time Pro Bowler. He also said he saw what many Carolina fans have known for years -- that Smith is a "bona fide playmaker."

He praised Smith, saying he plays at "a different level" than a lot of guys he's been around.

"You hear a lot of stories about he's going to do this, or he doesn't miss any passes, and I learned it first hand," Newton said. "You throw a pass here and there and he's catching it here and there. To some degree he's on a different level. I told him that. If I do a three-step drop or an out route I have to be fast to get (the football) to him extremely quick because he's that explosive as a player."

Newton said throwing passes to Smith was "kind of weird for me" because he's a player he grew up admiring from a distance.

"I have heard a lot of things about Steve and only half of them are true," Newton said. "The one thing everybody knows is that Steve Smith is a playmaker, and a bona fide playmaker at that. I have talked to Steve numerous times and he's always encouraged me to not settle. Anybody who can do that is a special person."

Smith's future with the team remains cloudy.

Three sources have said he's told upper management he'd prefer to play for a different team next year, and two of those sources said San Diego or Baltimore are among the places he'd like to play. However, whether or not the Panthers get enough for him in return could ultimately dictate whether or not Smith will stay in Charlotte next year as the Panthers simply aren't going to give him away.

If Newton can help change Smith's mind and convince him to stay in Carolina that would have to be considered a coup."