The Carolina Panthers wanted to make sure everyone knew what they thought of linebacker Thomas Davis and quarterback Matt Moore, putting the highest possible restricted free agent tenders on them Wednesday.

Davis will make $3.268mil-

lion and Moore $3.043million on the one-year deals, and the Panthers would be owed first- and third-round picks in compensation if they signed with another team.

For Davis, it was a bittersweet day. As a five-year veteran, he would have been unrestricted and in line for a much bigger contract. But with league rules changing with the advent of an uncapped year, he was restricted again, and forced to work for less than half what he would have averaged on a long-term deal.

"My thought is, if I had to get a tender, I'm excited it's the high one," Davis said. "It shows they value me and don't want to lose me. I'm not going to dwell on the other stuff. I'd love to sign a long-term deal, but under the circumstances now, that can't happen."

For Moore, the tender shows the Panthers are serious about letting him compete with incumbent Jake Delhomme for the starting job and didn't want to risk seeing him leave.

"My wife and I are both very, very excited and kind of thrilled," Moore said. "I've never thought they didn't think highly of me. That didn't cross my mind, but something like this speaks loud and clear about how they feel."

Entering his fourth season, Moore was regarded by many analysts as the top quarterback on the market in a down year in free agency at the position. He was 4-1 as a starter in 2009 after Delhomme went out with a broken finger. Delhomme was 4-7 in starting the first 11 games.

Moore had a 103.0 passer rating in his five starts, second best in the NFL during that span. He passed for 990 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. His passer rating for the entire season was 98.5, which would have ranked eighth in the league if he had enough passes.

His agent, Lynn Lashbrook, said Moore was grateful for the tender, and excited, about his opportunity. Lashbrook said he met with general manager Marty Hurney last week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, though he said it was too soon to say whether they talked about a long-term deal.

"It's just too good a marriage," Lashbrook said. "Matt's been given an opportunity, and now he just has to go out and keep playing well."

The Panthers also placed second-round tenders on tight end Jeff King ($1.759million), cornerback Richard Marshall ($1.759 million) and defensive tackle Louis Leonard ($1.684million).

That could leave Marshall testing the market and provides a nice bump for Leonard, who would have brought back no compensation if they tendered him at the lower level since he was undrafted.

The Panthers chose Marshall in the second round of the 2006 draft, and he played well last year in his first season as a full-time starter. He tied for the team lead with four interceptions and was second on the team with 81 tackles. In a thin cornerback market, he could get a significant offer.

Leonard impressed during the short time he was able to play after being acquired in a trade with Cleveland last summer. Obtained for a sixth-round pick, he was lost with a broken leg in his second game. He could end up starting if the Panthers part with injured and expensive nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu.

Linebacker James Anderson (third round, $1.176million), defensive tackle Tank Tyler (third round, $1.101million) and cornerback C.J. Wilson (seventh round, $1.101million) were given original-round tenders.

The tenders are nonguaranteed, and players can solicit deals on the open market, but the Panthers would be compensated with the respective draft picks if they leave.

Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd, safety Quinton Teal and offensive linemen Rob Petitti weren't tendered, but all three could end up returning on cheaper deals.

To keep those three with tender offers would have cost a combined $3.378million, but if they return on minimum wage deals, the Panthers would save roughly half that amount.

The Panthers also offered minimum-wage deals to exclusive-rights free agents - receivers Kenny Moore and Charly Martin, defensive tackle Nick Hayden and linebacker Jordan Senn. Their contracts had expired, but they couldn't negotiate with other teams.