Randy Inman
Bruce Bostwick
James Rickard
Jam Patterson 
Winless In Seattle
Robin PottratzGross gets rich Peppers gets the tag
February 21st 2009 00:20
The Julius Peppers saga with the Carolina Panthers continue with him being hit with a Franchise Tag. Peppers will be free to talk with another team about a contract then they will have to work a trade with the Panthers. Until the trade is made the Panthers are hit with an almost $17 million hit on their 2009 salary cap.
Things got ugly recently when Julius Peppers gave the Panthers a list of 4 teams he would play for according to Darren Gantt of the Rock Hill (SC) Herald. Those teams are believed to be the Cowboys, two division rival NFC South teams and one AFC team.
Peppers was trying to force the Panthers to not tag him, in hopes that offensive tackle Jordan Gross would instead get the franchise tag. Instead Gross took a home team discount and signed before other teams could talk to him. Gross signed a 6 year deal with $30 million guaranteed in the first 3 years of the contract. This allowed the Panthers to immediately tag Julius Peppers.
Carolina fans are livid with Peppers who has been an enigma with the team. He is from the state of North Carolina and attended UNC where he played both football and basketball. Fans here in North Carolina wanted to embrace and love Peppers but he wants none of it.
Peppers showed moments of pure greatness on the field followed by more moments of mediocre play as a defensive end. His stats look impressive as a whole during most seasons but he disappears for games at a time.
Signing Gross really helped the Panthers as they have a nice offensive line and now don’t have to enter a bidding war for the left tackle. The Eagles, Rams and Vikings were all thought to be interested in the big man.
However now unless a trade involving Peppers is quickly made, the team’s hands are tied in free agency due to the salary cap. When Darren Gantt spoke of the signing on WFNZ’s Frank and Buck show, he said that Jake Delhomme would now probably get a contract extension to free up space.
One thing I have not heard said much is how big of a flake Peppers is. I happen to think he will hold out or retire if he isn’t quickly traded to the team of his choice. He clearly has little love for the game and I don’t think he would hesitate to retire. He has said he wants to go to a team as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense that can maximize his potential. The Patriots and Dolphins are two teams that make some sense. However I am not sure how much either would want somebody that takes whole games off. He is known to like the city of Houston and I think that is where he wants to be.
Things got ugly recently when Julius Peppers gave the Panthers a list of 4 teams he would play for according to Darren Gantt of the Rock Hill (SC) Herald. Those teams are believed to be the Cowboys, two division rival NFC South teams and one AFC team.
Peppers was trying to force the Panthers to not tag him, in hopes that offensive tackle Jordan Gross would instead get the franchise tag. Instead Gross took a home team discount and signed before other teams could talk to him. Gross signed a 6 year deal with $30 million guaranteed in the first 3 years of the contract. This allowed the Panthers to immediately tag Julius Peppers.
Carolina fans are livid with Peppers who has been an enigma with the team. He is from the state of North Carolina and attended UNC where he played both football and basketball. Fans here in North Carolina wanted to embrace and love Peppers but he wants none of it.
Peppers showed moments of pure greatness on the field followed by more moments of mediocre play as a defensive end. His stats look impressive as a whole during most seasons but he disappears for games at a time.
Signing Gross really helped the Panthers as they have a nice offensive line and now don’t have to enter a bidding war for the left tackle. The Eagles, Rams and Vikings were all thought to be interested in the big man.
However now unless a trade involving Peppers is quickly made, the team’s hands are tied in free agency due to the salary cap. When Darren Gantt spoke of the signing on WFNZ’s Frank and Buck show, he said that Jake Delhomme would now probably get a contract extension to free up space.
One thing I have not heard said much is how big of a flake Peppers is. I happen to think he will hold out or retire if he isn’t quickly traded to the team of his choice. He clearly has little love for the game and I don’t think he would hesitate to retire. He has said he wants to go to a team as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense that can maximize his potential. The Patriots and Dolphins are two teams that make some sense. However I am not sure how much either would want somebody that takes whole games off. He is known to like the city of Houston and I think that is where he wants to be.
Gross got the goldmine, Peppers got the shaft
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