Panther Paw Prints - Franchise Tag Deadline Edition
by Jaxon on Feb 21, 2010 10:36 AM EST
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PrintThis edition of Paw Prints is focused on the end of the franchise tag period. If the Panthers are going to franchise tag Julius Peppers then they have until this Thursday to make it known. Though there is little going on with the Panthers it seems every team is discussing the possibility of obtaining Peppers. We can expect the Patriots to be one of the bidders, or will they?
[Patriots] Patriots Won't Pay Panthers DE Julius Peppers Top Dollar? | Bleacher Report
"If he's going for the big money, Peppers never signs with the Patriots,'' the league source said. "If it's about winning and he's willing to take less to play in New England, maybe he ends up there. But he doesn't sound like the type who's willing to take the discount. And really, can you go to New England and know you're going to win these days? It's not the given it was maybe three or four years ago, when Randy Moss went there. It's been five years since they've won a Super Bowl.''
I'm betting he doesn't end up in Boston as well. There has been talk the Browns would be a good spot, but Holgrem like most GM's isn't playing his hand:
So much for big free-agent splashes | Dawging the Browns
In other words, don’t expect new president Mike Holmgren to start throwing owner Randy Lerner’s money around without careful thought. In other words, don’t expect any major runs at Julius Peppers, Karlos Dansby, etc. In an interview this week with the Lake County News-Herald, Holmgren said he intends to build through the draft while being "very selective" in free agency, echoing just about every previous Browns executive who has walked through the door in Berea.
Some people are starting to speculate as we have on this site that free agency may not be the bonanza players expect with the looming lockout:
Top 10 offseason stories - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
The interesting issue for Peppers, however, may not be who the team is, but how much he gets. As a player who has made north of $15M for each of the past two seasons, it’s a question whether he’ll equal that average as a UFA.
Well of course that is what he will be looking for, specifically at least what Haynesworth got last offseason:
ProFootballWeekly.com - Peppers likely to demand Haynesworth-like deal
Risk factor: Moderate. It's always a bit of a risk to sign a player like Peppers, who will likely be demanding a contract similar to the one Albert Haynesworth received a year ago from the Redskins, who gave Haynesworth $41 million guaranteed.
I'm sure I wouldn't be the only person to find it humorous if Peppers gets offered less than the Panthers offered two seasons ago. His super-agent might advise him to sit out a season in order to get what he really deserves. Lord I am so tired of the Peppers speculation...
Panthers LB Thomas Davis will test his knee this week for the first time and he is very upbeat about it:
Carolina Panthers' decision on Julius Peppers due this week - CharlotteObserver.com
"This sounds crazy, but I feel like I can come back faster," Davis said. "I know it won't slow me down one bit. When you have this kind of injury, you're focusing so much on the muscles, making sure everything's strong so you can come back. "Definitely, my goal is to run faster than I was going in."
Speaking of Davis he recently launched his own website which you can link up here.
Could the Panthers be looking at releasing DT Maake Kemoeatu?
When it's not, his contract would revert back to near the terms of his original deal. He'd be due a base salary of $2.6million in 2010, and a non-exercise fee of $1.77 if he's on the roster the 10th day of the league year (March 14). For a team interested in keeping costs in check, that's a steep price to pay for a one-dimensional player coming off a major injury.
It would make sense given the signing of Ed Johnson and the fact the Panthers are suddenly deep at DT. This will be one of the more interesting decisions of the offseason.
And from the Humor Corner...
Doe Jake Delhomme have any fanstasy value? | Bleacher Report
This is big question in panther country right now. They have an outstanding o-line & dynamic set of running backs. They need somebody to get the ball to Steve Smith. A solid QB will only help the offense look better.
Even if he should somehow emerge as the starter in September the answer is still 'little to none'.
I agree its slim picking this week as Peppers is dominating all Panther news. Maybe after Thursday we can focus on the post-Peppers era in Carolina. I'm looking forward to it.
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Frankly, all I care about is Carolina getting a decent #2 WR, either in FA or in the draft. I’m not expecting much FA spending this year from the Cats; we need to spend most of it on retaining players not named Peppers. Another slow offseason for us all, but hopefully that will = a Super Bowl next season.
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
I agree
Although if we lose Pep I’d like us to pursue Aaron Kampman.
One of South Africa's only Carolina Panthers and fans.
by chinchillas sword on Feb 21, 2010 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
I honestly don’t see us doing that. The Panthers have never been a team to get into a bidding war for top end players. The only instance in recent memory of that was Keyshawn Johnson, and that went well.
Although Kampman is a good player, he has become accustomed to the 3-4 in GB, and I doubt he would want to play DE in a 4-3 team (unless he would replace Diggs). However, we need money to retain guys like Brayton, Davis, etc, and keep the core of that D alive.
Not saying getting Kampman is a asinine idea, just that I don’t see the org getting into a bidding war for him.
Member of Canes Country and the Cat Scratch Reader
I'm surprised that Pro Football Weekly only has Peppers' risk as 'moderate'
For a supposed top 5 DE in the NFL he’s had 62 sacks in the last 5 seasons, and 22 FF
For a comparison, in the same time period:
Dwight Freeney: 61 sacks, 27 FF
Jared Allen: 72 sacks, 21 FF
Aaron Kampman: 57.5 sacks, 9 FF
And you’re telling me Peppers is supposedly worth roughly $30 million more than Freeney or Allen and $50 million more than Kampman?
I think the risk level is obscenely high for a 30 year old DE who you may have to pay upwards of $100 million for.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I remember when John Fox first arrived here.
Free agents were coming into Carolina from every which direction. I miss that aggressiveness.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
FA
isn’t always all its built up to be. I mean look at Washington, see how making a splash in FA every year treats them…
by SouthernPanther on Feb 21, 2010 2:18 PM EST reply actions
I think Kampman would be a good addition
but doubt the Panthers will pursue him.
Also, still don’t understand why the Transition Tag is not an option. Though it doesn’t reduce the $ amount it gives Carey the chance to go find another team. The Panthers could simply settle for a 2nd round pick or even less…then at least they get something and pep can pick his team still
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Don't forget, lockout looming in 2011
That means that the only money you get as a player is guaranteed money. So if Peppers signs a contract with three years guaranteed at 45 million, the new team is basically paying 45 million for two years on the field. That’s a wash with the franchise fee, which we all know isn’t worth it.
Hurney’s being smart about this.
But then on the other side of this, with a rookie salary cap coming with the new deal, picks are going to be worth their weight in gold.
But then again, every time I remember that, I also remind myself that if we were to do that we would actually have to DEPEND on Carey to work out a trade to another team!
VETO! VETO! EJECT THE COCKPIT!
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
You got it backwards
With a rookie cap looming, this is the last year of inflated rookie contracts. The more picks you have this year, the more contracts you’ll have to write in an uncapped year. So from a financial standpoint, you don’t want to have a lot of picks this year.
On the other hand, lots of underclassmen declared knowing this, which makes it one of the deepest classes in history. So from a talent standpoint, you want as many picks as you can get this year.
True.
My point I meant to make though is that if we were to trade Julius Peppers for say, two second round picks from the Patsies for example, even with inflated contracts then it would be totally worth it. The Panthers don’t have many pics to begin with, and it isn’t going to impact rookie contracts in the financial sense as much in the 2nd round as it does in the first. And if even one of those picks rises up to be a star DT or WR, the Panthers have suddenly turned the Peppers crisis into victory.
It’s a pity he’ll be released in the end.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
3rd round compensation next season
I’ll take what I can get.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Feb 23, 2010 1:12 PM EST up reply actions
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