Carolina Panthers Will Not Tag Julius Peppers
Julius Peppers had previously expressed a desire to get out of Charlotte and it appears as though he will get his wish as the Panthers announced Tuesday that they will not use the franchise tag on him meaning he will be allowed to become an unrestricted free agent.
If the experts are to be believed it sounds like his freedom is coming at a price as it is being speculated that he will not command nearly as much money on the open market as the Panthers were offering last summer. It was reported that the Panthers were prepared to give him a deal that would have made him the highest paid defensive player in the league.
With Peppers being 30 years old and whispers around the league about his effort and intensity through the course of a season there are some real questions as to how much teams are going to be willing to pay him. There is a lot of speculation as to whether he will be able to command the $12 to $15 million per season he could have gotten last spring. Most seem to think he is going to be lucky to break the $10 million a season mark this off season.
Initially, it was thought that the Panthers would look to try and deal Peppers to another team rather than simply let him walk. When that was an option it was believed that the Eagles and the Patriots were the leading teams to land Peppers. Now all bets are off.
The Pats and Eagles are still likely to come calling and be in the mix on Peppers, but, are they going to be willing to get into a bidding war on a guy like Peppers. The first team likely to place a call to Peppers’ agent will be the Falcons.
The Falcons desperately need a pass rusher to pair with the fading John Abraham. The Falcons ranked 26th in the league in sacks last season and one of their off season priorities is to find someone to give the pass rush a shot in the arm. Not only does it strengthen their pass rush but it also weakens a division rival in the process.
Ultimately a lot will depend on whether Peppers is out to get paid or is interested in playing for a contender. At the age of 30 he may only have a few more years left as an elite player in the league and may be looking to win now as opposed to cashing in.
He expressed an interest in playing for a team that deploys a 3-4 defensive front making teams like the Patriots and Packers attractive destinations for Peppers. If he is interested in playing for a contender then teams like the Eagles, Falcons, and possibly the Giants will come into play. The Eagles made the playoffs last season and the Giants and Falcons just missed out last season.
A couple of intriguing AFC teams that could get into the mix are the Titans and Texans. With Kyle Vanden Bosch potentially leaving free agency and the team lacking a serious pass rusher the past couple of seasons look for the Titans to potentially make a run at Peppers. The Texans pass rush basically begins and ends with Mario Williams and they would love to acquire a talent like Peppers to line up opposite Williams.
Teams like Jacksonville, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Detroit are in desperate need of a dominant pass rusher but they are so far away from contending it seems unlikely he will sign with one of those teams unless they simply bite the bullet and pony up $15 to $20 million a year in cash.
It seems unlikely that Jacksonville or Detroit will look to pony up that kind of cash on any player given the financial constraints of their local economies.
In the end I have a feeling it comes down to the Titans, Texans, and Falcons. I have nothing to base that on other than what those teams need and how much of a difference he would make on those respective defenses.
