In recent weeks, teams around the league have contacted the Carolina Panthers to inquire about the availability of running back DeAngelo Williams, according to league sources.

Entering Sunday's game against the Bears, the 29-year-old Williams has just eight rushing attempts in the last two games for 10 yards. He carried the ball 11 times for 33 yards in the Panthers' 23-22 loss at Chicago.

For the season, he has rushed for 210 yards on 61 attempts and two touchdowns.

The biggest obstacle to any Williams trade is his contract. His $5.25 million salary this season is guaranteed, meaning any team that trades for him would be on the hook for $2.6 million in the second half of the season.

But that's still considerably less than the $19.5 million that Williams made last season, after he signed an extension that after this year still has three more seasons and $18 million on it.

Those figures would make Williams the 14th highest-paid running back in the league, but it could be a price a running back-needy team would be willing to pay by Tuesday's trade deadline.