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Jerricho Cotchery was choosing between the #Steelers and #Panthers, and he’s chosen Carolina. Final details being hammered out.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 20, 2014
NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport is confirming the Carolina Panthers have come to an agreement with ex-Steelers wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery. The terms of the deal have not been finalized, and no contract has been signed.
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It appears as if it's expected, though, which raises multiple questions for the Steelers in regards to free agency as well as the 2014 NFL Draft. The Steelers ended talks with free agent WR Lance Moore without having come to an agreement. He may be the Steelers' next option now that Cotchery will be leaving. The market is fairly thin after Moore (and Moore could be considered on the thin side of the market in his own right), but whatever happens with him, the Steelers will have a very young wide receivers position group.
Antonio Brown was without question the team's most dynamic receiver over the last season, but now he is the oldest. A receiver was a pretty solid bet to join the Steelers via the draft even before this, but those odds may have jumped into front-runner status.
The Steelers also ended contract conversation with free agent running back Maurice Jones-Drew, as Post-Gazette reporter Ed Bouchette tweeted.
Cotchery's wife is from North Carolina and has family in the area. Said that was major part of his decision #Steleers
— Dale Lolley (@dlolleyor) March 20, 2014