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CHARLOTTE (AP) — Julius Peppers was noncommittal about the future, Jake Delhomme declared he wants to redeem himself and John Fox was silent.

The Carolina Panthers gathered for an early morning meeting Monday, then scattered for the offseason with questions aplenty.

While Fox canceled his end-of-season news conference after being peppered with questions about his future a day earlier, Peppers ended his silence when he was tracked down in the frigid players' parking lot at Bank of America Stadium.

Only the five-time Pro Bowl pick and the NFL's highest-paid player this season had little to say as he heads into free agency a year after publicly declaring he wanted to play elsewhere.

Peppers also declined to weigh in on Fox, whose contract hasn't been extended past 2010. Fox refused to say on Sunday if he wants to return as a possible lame-duck coach next season, even with a salary of more than $6 million.

"I really don't have any information on Fox's future around here. I really don't have any thoughts that I want to share on it right now," Peppers said. "In a couple of days I'll have a little more information and a little more things to tell you about my future around here."

Delhomme's future is cloudy, too, but his intentions aren't after a miserable season. With tape on his broken right middle finger that knocked him out of the final five games, the quarterback declared he wants to return even though backup Matt Moore went 4-1 in his place as Carolina finished a disappointing season at .500.

"I anticipate to be here. I expect to be here. I want to be here," said Delhomme, who is still owed nearly $12.7 million in guaranteed money. "Certainly Matt played outstanding the last few games for us. That'll be a big question for us, and rightfully so.

"Whatever management and coaches decide, whatever decision, be it in my favor or not in my favor, I think the biggest thing is I'm going to keep my mouth shut no matter what and I'm going to come to work and we'll see what happens."

Keeping your mouth shut remained the theme for this secretive organization on Monday. Owner Jerry Richardson, who has yet to publicly comment on dismissing his two sons from prominent jobs with the team four months ago, was still not commenting about Fox.

Inheriting a 1-15 team in 2002 and putting the Panthers in the Super Bowl in only two years, Fox is held in high regard across the NFL. He's 76-60 in eight seasons with three playoff appearances, but has never been able to post consecutive winning seasons.

After going 12-4 in 2008, the Panthers started 0-3 this season and Fox stubbornly stuck with Delhomme despite his career-high 18 interceptions. But despite numerous injuries and having nothing to play for over the final month, the Panthers closed with three straight wins over the Vikings, Giants and Saints by a combined 90-26.

"No one in the locker room would want a change," said left tackle Jordan Gross, one of 12 players who ended the season on injured reserve. "Everybody plays hard for him. I have been here seven years with him and I don't think there's a better answer out there."

The question is, does Fox want to be back? He could perhaps be a candidate for other head coaching jobs around the NFL that would offer him the security of a long-term deal. The Panthers, however, would almost certainly demand draft picks in return to let Fox out of the final year of his contract.

"Like every offseason there are evaluations and things you look at," Fox said Sunday when asked if he wanted to stay in Carolina. "I usually talk to my family and see where that all goes."

Once the coaching situation is resolved, the focus will shift to Peppers.

He had 10½ sacks and five forced fumbles this season, closing with an interception in Sunday's 23-10 win over New Orleans. That production cost the Panthers $18.2 million, including a $1.5 million Pro Bowl bonus. Placing the restrictive franchise tag on him for a second straight season would cost them more than $20 million.

Peppers, who turns 30 this month, is expected to demand about $15 million a season if he agrees to a long-term deal to stay.

"Anything that was said a year ago is irrelevant right now," Peppers said on last offseason's nastiness. "It's a new situation. It's a new day."

Other unrestricted free agents include starters Muhsin Muhammad, Tyler Brayton and Keydrick Vincent. Thomas Davis, Richard Marshall and Jeff King will be restricted free agents if there is no salary cap next season.

Moore will be a restricted free agent, too. But after throwing seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in the final three games, he could be ready for the starting job even with Delhomme's big contract.

"Some will think so and some won't," Moore said. "All you can do is go out and try to win ballgames and give it your best."

With two elite running backs and a loaded defense, the Panthers figure to be back in the playoff mix in 2010. But it may depend on who's the coach, the quarterback and the key player on defense.

Before Peppers slipped into his Maserati, he declined to speculate if he'd be parking in the same lot next season.

"That's not for me to say right now," he said. "It could be, might not be."