CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Don't expect a long-term contract for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton anytime soon.

Newton's contract didn't even come up in conversation when the Panthers met with Newton's representatives this past weekend at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, a league source told ESPN.com.

Neither the Panthers nor Cam Newton are in a hurry to work out a new deal. Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

There's really no incentive for the Panthers to move fast with a new deal. Newton is guaranteed $14.7 million this season after Carolina picked up his fifth-year option. The team can use the franchise tag on Newton in 2016 if necessary.

Newton has no incentive to move quickly, either. The market for top quarterbacks will increase when Seattle's Russell Wilson and Indianapolis' Andrew Luck get new deals.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month the Colts are preparing to give Luck a "blockbuster mega deal" that would make him the highest paid quarterback in the league.

That figure reportedly could be $25 million a year, much higher than the $20 million to $22 million standard set by the current crop of elite quarterbacks.

The Colts don't have to be in a hurry either. The first pick of the 2012 draft is locked up this year and the team can exercise the fifth-year option on him as the Panthers did with Newton.

Newton hasn't proven to be in the elite category of Luck or Wilson despite making the Pro Bowl twice. He likely will receive a deal in the six-year range worth closer to $18 million to $20 million range.

Negotiations are expected to center as much around how much is guaranteed as the overall number.

Chances are talks between Newton and the Panthers won't heat up until this summer, after the Panthers have completed upgrading the roster through free agency and the draft.

Neither side appears to be pushing the issue. The Panthers haven't hesitated to say Newton is their quarterback of the future and they ultimately want to get a deal done.

Newton has said he wants to be at Carolina long-term, but doesn't want negotiations to take away from his preparation.

General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Ron Rivera declined to discuss Newton's contract when they met with reporters at the combine.

But Rivera was excited that, after a recent meeting with Newton, to report the quarterback is healthier than he's been in "a long time."

Newton underwent ankle surgery last offseason that kept him out of offseason workouts, fractured ribs during training camp that kept him out of the opener, and then broke two small bones in his back during a December car crash that sidelined him for one start.

"I'm very happy for the young man because last year I thought he took a very big step in the second half of the season," Rivera said. "We did some things offensively, a little bit differently than we had done earlier in the year.

"We felt he was healthy and strong enough to do those things, and Mike [Shula] and the offensive staff implemented those plans and I thought they showed very well. I thought he handled the situation very nicely, and he's going to continue in his growth as we go forward."