AP

Veteran defensive end Charles Johnson has made a lot of money from the Panthers.

He should probably prepare himself to make a lot less if he wants to hang around.

Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman didn’t exactly give a glowing endorsement of the 29-year-old defensive end, when asked if his $10.75 million salary was an impediment to his future employment.

Gettleman began by saying the decision would be based on football rather than finances, and when asked later if Johnson’s football ability merited being part of the future, replied: “We’re still going through that process” of evaluating players.

Gettleman has strong-armed a number of Panthers elders into pay cuts in recent years, including former left tackle Jordan Gross. So while the Panthers need to reinforce their defensive end position this offseason, it sounds like they’re going to be looking for a substantial give-back from Johnson.

The former third-round pick got one of the bountiful post-lockout deals from former G.M. Marty Hurney in 2011, a six-year, $76 million pact. And he’s largely lived up to it, with 41.0 sacks in the following four years. But he fell off sharply last year, with injuries limiting him to nine games and one sack.

There’s no guarantee Johnson will be interested in a pay cut, but he’d also be going into a job market coming off a bad year and closing in on 30.