The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

The Associated Press reveals that he deadline for the Carolina Panthers to strike a long-term deal with defensive end Julius Peppers passed Wednesday without an agreement. Peppers now will play under a one-year franchise tender worth at least $16.7 million, creating the prospect for another offseason of uncertainty next year. The Panthers had until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday to sign the four-time Pro Bowl pick to a deal that would secure his long-term future in Carolina and free up salary-cap space. “Both sides tried," said Carl Carey, Peppers' agent. "Julius feels good about the one-year deal and is ready for the season to begin." Peppers, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks last season, has indicated he'll report to camp on time Aug. 2.
 

Mancini’s Take: Well, much like a fat Larry Holmes after a four-round knockout versus Mike Tyson in 1988, Peppers is laughing all the way to the bank. Carolina, though, can just turn around and slap him with the team’s franchise tag again next year, but you can’t let one individual prevent you from locking up key players and making free agent acquisitions. Because of Peppers’ enormous salary, the Panthers were forced to let long snapper Jason Kyle walk to their division rival New Orleans Saints and miss out on picking up free agents from other teams to reinforce the squad. This isn’t basketball where the team with Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan always wins the brass ring. GM Marty Hurney should’ve made more of an effort to trade the star defensive end after it became evident that he didn’t want to remain a Panther. How would you have handled the matter, Rosstradamus?

Mandel's Take: The Ravens were able to work out a deal with their guy. Carolina was not, but I think they were wise not to commit the kind of money that would have been required. Peppers will be 30 at season's end--how long of a deal will a team give a 30-year-old guy at the rate he's going to demand? Peppers is a tremendous player, but he tried to bully the Panthers and they simply weren't having it--they called his "trade me or else" bluff. The sackmaster will make at least $16.7 million this season and my guess is after Carolina realizes that money could have been used to fill several glaring needs, they will not franchise Peppers again next season. The Panthers are not a Julius Peppers away from winning a Super Bowl; it's time for them to allocate funds elsewhere.
 

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment