Steve Smith is a Panthers legend. I thought he was released because he was old and got injured
It was due to wanting to revamp the culture and Steve didn't fit what the new GM wanted. Along with the notion that Steve wouldn't take a pay cut, he claims the team never asked him to which I honestly believe. But the week before cutting him he spoke about aging players taking pay cuts on a local radio station and he basically said "you paid us this money, I'm not taking less" But that along was reason enough to cut Steve.
We would've owed him $10 mil for this past season which would've gotten in the way of extending Cam and Luke before the cap increased this summer.