Carucci: Pats remain interested in Peppers

KDPPatsfan85 said:

We are playing Carolina once this season!!

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Carolina plays the following teams (cap space according to Florio, needs according to New Era Scouting):

Philly ($37.44m) - low need
Atlanta ($23.67m) - DE, high need
Dallas ($10.35m) - 3-4 DE, low need
Washington ($5.96m) - 4-3 DE, some need
Buffalo ($11.82m) - 4-3 OLD, some need
Arizona ($1.29m) - 4-3 OLB, high need
New Orleans ($4.29m) - 4-3 OLB, high need
Miami ($13.19m) - 3-4 OLB, high need
New York Jests ($12.62m) - low need
Tampa Bay ($35.54m) - 4-3 DE, high need
New England ($4.67m) - 3-4 OLB, high need
Minnesota ($17.32m) - 4-3 DE, low need
New York Giants ($4.37m) - 4-3 OLB, high need

If there's any truth to the comment by his current teammate, that is. Food for thought anyway.

rusH1023 said:

Carolina plays the following teams (cap space according to Florio, needs according to New Era Scouting):

Philly ($37.44m) - low need
Atlanta ($23.67m) - DE, high need
Dallas ($10.35m) - 3-4 DE, low need
Washington ($5.96m) - 4-3 DE, some need
Buffalo ($11.82m) - 4-3 OLD, some need
Arizona ($1.29m) - 4-3 OLB, high need
New Orleans ($4.29m) - 4-3 OLB, high need
Miami ($13.19m) - 3-4 OLB, high need
New York Jests ($12.62m) - low need
Tampa Bay ($35.54m) - 4-3 DE, high need
New England ($4.67m) - 3-4 OLB, high need
Minnesota ($17.32m) - 4-3 DE, low need
New York Giants ($4.37m) - 4-3 OLB, high need

If there's any truth to the comment by his current teammate, that is. Food for thought anyway.

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I actually would say the Cowboys have a high need at OLB (where Peppers would go). Yes, they have arguably the best LBer in football in DeMarcus Ware on one OLB spot, but he is an UFA next season (which could be an argument not to get Peppers, but Peppers might be insurance if they lose him) and their other OLB spot is manned by Greg Ellis who will be 34 at the start of the season and his best days are behind him. The Cowboys are probably going to look to upgrade that spot in the draft.

BTW, Peppers will not play a DE in the 3-4 or an OLB in the 4-3. He is too small for the former and to big for the latter.

Rob0729 said:

I actually would say the Cowboys have a high need at OLB (where Peppers would go). Yes, they have arguably the best LBer in football in DeMarcus Ware on one OLB spot, but he is an UFA next season (which could be an argument not to get Peppers, but Peppers might be insurance if they lose him) and their other OLB spot is manned by Greg Ellis who will be 34 at the start of the season and his best days are behind him. The Cowboys are probably going to look to upgrade that spot in the draft.

BTW, Peppers will not play a DE in the 3-4 or an OLB in the 4-3. He is too small for the former and to big for the latter.

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Carolina will not trade Peppers into their own Conference. When hes traded he will be in the AFC and the only AFC team he will play for is the PATRIOTS!!

Panthers signed QB Jake Delhomme to a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension through 2014

So Carolina gets a little cap relief. I wonder how this effect the Peppers talks.

KDPPatsfan85 said:

Carolina will not trade Peppers into their own Conference. When hes traded he will be in the AFC and the only AFC team he will play for is the PATRIOTS!!

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Well, if the reports are true that Peppers is only willing to be traded to only five teams and four of them are in the NFC, the Panthers may not have a choice to send him to the NFC if they are intent on trading him away.

wpdougie2180 said:

Panthers signed QB Jake Delhomme to a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension through 2014

So Carolina gets a little cap relief. I wonder how this effect the Peppers talks.

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$20 million is guaranteed. Based on that deal, the Pats should offer a conditional seventh for Peppers and the Panthers' first round pick. They might counter that they won't do the deal unless the Pats take their second round pick too.

Wow! the Panthers are stupid. Delhomme is 34, had Tommy John surgery in 2007, and threw for 3,288 yards, 15 TDs, and 12 INTs with only a 59.4% completion record last season. And let's not forget that he threw 5 INTs in the playoff game vs. Arizona. I figured the guy was in his last year as a Panther, not get an extension of this magnitude.

wpdougie2180 said:

Panthers signed QB Jake Delhomme to a five-year, $42.5 million contract extension through 2014

So Carolina gets a little cap relief. I wonder how this effect the Peppers talks.

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I'm sure it makes them more comfortable with keeping pep and paying him the 16 mil. I'm more worried about the fact he hasn't signed his tender and the draft is 2 days away giving the pats and car hardly anytime to work out compensation for peppers.

slash83 said:

I'm sure it makes them more comfortable with keeping pep and paying him the 16 mil. I'm more worried about the fact he hasn't signed his tender and the draft is 2 days away giving the pats and car hardly anytime to work out compensation for peppers.

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I still think that aspect is overrated. Cassel is the only franchised free agent I can remember who signed his franchise tender prior to a deal being in place. There were two franchised players who were traded last year and neither signed their tender until around the time the trade was consumated. The Pats worked out a trade with the Saints for Tebucky Jones a day before Jones signed his tender. The Bills openly negotiated for trade of Peerless Price to Atlanta before Price signed his tender.

Again, I am convinced that publically the league wants to not allow the NFLPA to use violations of the franchise policy to try to get rid of the franchise tag in the next CBA negotiations. Because in the past, signing the franchise tender was never a roadblock in working out a franchise tender.

Rob0729 said:

I still think that aspect is overrated. Cassel is the only franchised free agent I can remember who signed his franchise tender prior to a deal being in place. There were two franchised players who were traded last year and neither signed their tender until around the time the trade was consumated. The Pats worked out a trade with the Saints for Tebucky Jones a day before Jones signed his tender. The Bills openly negotiated for trade of Peerless Price to Atlanta before Price signed his tender.

Again, I am convinced that publically the league wants to not allow the NFLPA to use violations of the franchise policy to try to get rid of the franchise tag in the next CBA negotiations. Because in the past, signing the franchise tender was never a roadblock in working out a franchise tender.

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So u think there's a chance there's a deal in place somehow?

slash83 said:

So u think there's a chance there's a deal in place somehow?

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I have been on record saying that I don't think the trade will happen. But I don't think the reason will have anything to do with Peppers not signing his franchise tender. I also think that if the deal actually does go through, Peppers not signing his franchise tender isn't holding it up.

If the Pats are going to trade for Peppers, my guess is they will wait until as close to the draft as possible because the closer and closer it gets to the draft and the Panthers don't have a trade in place, the more desperate they become if they intend on trading Peppers. The Pats have a Jason Taylor plan B if they decide they want a veteran. So they will be less desperate to get a deal done. Peppers may be willing to take less closer to the draft since he knows the likelihood of him getting traded after the first day of the draft is neglible.

rusH1023 said:

On PFW yesterday, a caller from Carolina heard an interview with OL Jordan Gross of the Panthers. He was asked who the toughest DL to block is. The answer, in his opinion, was Michael Strahan. The reason was, during a recent game, Gross was holding his own all game against Strahan until he put a late hit on him, which triggered the animal in Strahan to come out. From that point on, Strahan mopped the field with him.

The reporter asked what it was like to block Julius Peppers and he said, that's an interesting question; I told Julius the other day that I looked forward to sparring with him in training camp over the next few months and Peppers replied,

You and I will play each other exactly once next season.

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oh snap....!

Now less than 48 hours until the 400 Peppers trade threads die a much needed death

Rob0729 said:

I still think that aspect is overrated. Cassel is the only franchised free agent I can remember who signed his franchise tender prior to a deal being in place. There were two franchised players who were traded last year and neither signed their tender until around the time the trade was consumated. The Pats worked out a trade with the Saints for Tebucky Jones a day before Jones signed his tender. The Bills openly negotiated for trade of Peerless Price to Atlanta before Price signed his tender.

Again, I am convinced that publically the league wants to not allow the NFLPA to use violations of the franchise policy to try to get rid of the franchise tag in the next CBA negotiations. Because in the past, signing the franchise tender was never a roadblock in working out a franchise tender.

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You're making assumptions about things you can't possibly know to be fact. When disgruntled players are actively seeking a trade permissions can be granted. But that all flows through the agent. Carolina said as recently as a day or so ago they had been brought no offers for Peppers by his agent. Some are now surmising that is because there were none to his liking contract wise. Tebucky and NO found each other. Then they approached us. At that point we could begin to negotiate with NO and NO alone for compensation. It wasn't a difficult deal since Tebucky was going to get a long term deal worth a lot more than his $4M tag at the time and there was no way we were going to keep him for $4M...

Same thing happened with the NYJ and Abraham. First you either need the player to find a new suitor willing to talk trade or you need the player to formally demand a trade and release the team to talk to any suitors he and his agent sign off on. Peppers hasn't done that yet. One of the pitfalls of that is you may not find a suitor, like the situation Edgerrin James faced when he demanded to be traded under Indy's tag. Kind of embarassing. Eventually Polian was publicly stating he'd take a 2nd or maybe third...but NO ONE was offering him even that. You end up back at the same camp with your tail between your legs.

The other thing that is different here is unlike most tag and trade deals which are mutually necessary, Carolina not only wants this guy they need him to remain in a draft year where they don't have a first round pick to even begin to deal with his departure. Now, if he were to show up in a NC driveway doing situps with Rosenhaus in tow, they would probably decide to move on but even then they would expect compensation commensurate with his present day value to their franchise. But again, he hasn't gone TO on them. In fact his own agent is on record weeks ago saying he has no problem returning to Carolina as the highest paid player in the league if that's the way things go.

eom said:

oh snap....!

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Oh snap is right! Perhaps Peppers is referring to playing for the Pats.

HEY BRO! WHAT UP? said:

Oh snap is right! Perhaps Peppers is referring to playing for the Pats.

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i think thats exactly what hes referring to!! at least thats what i think and hope!!

MoLewisrocks said:

You're making assumptions about things you can't possibly know to be fact. When disgruntled players are actively seeking a trade permissions can be granted. But that all flows through the agent. Carolina said as recently as a day or so ago they had been brought no offers for Peppers by his agent. Some are now surmising that is because there were none to his liking contract wise. Tebucky and NO found each other. Then they approached us. At that point we could begin to negotiate with NO and NO alone for compensation. It wasn't a difficult deal since Tebucky was going to get a long term deal worth a lot more than his $4M tag at the time and there was no way we were going to keep him for $4M...

Same thing happened with the NYJ and Abraham. First you either need the player to find a new suitor willing to talk trade or you need the player to formally demand a trade and release the team to talk to any suitors he and his agent sign off on. Peppers hasn't done that yet. One of the pitfalls of that is you may not find a suitor, like the situation Edgerrin James faced when he demanded to be traded under Indy's tag. Kind of embarassing. Eventually Polian was publicly stating he'd take a 2nd or maybe third...but NO ONE was offering him even that. You end up back at the same camp with your tail between your legs.

The other thing that is different here is unlike most tag and trade deals which are mutually necessary, Carolina not only wants this guy they need him to remain in a draft year where they don't have a first round pick to even begin to deal with his departure. Now, if he were to show up in a NC driveway doing situps with Rosenhaus in tow, they would probably decide to move on but even then they would expect compensation commensurate with his present day value to their franchise. But again, he hasn't gone TO on them. In fact his own agent is on record weeks ago saying he has no problem returning to Carolina as the highest paid player in the league if that's the way things go.

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First, I never portrayed my assumptions as fact. I made it pretty clear that I was my opinion. People do it on this message board and other message boards all the time. The only things that I portrayed as facts are that certain franchised players who have been traded in the past had trades negotiated before they signed the tender. I don't know if that is disputable.

As for Tebucky and NO even if it happened as you described it, the trade was negotiated without Tebucky signing the tender offer. Based on the letter of the rule and what Belichick is saying this year, the Pats and Saints violated the CBA.

As for the Peppers specific situation, you, nor I, nor anyoneone else other than Peppers, his agent, the Panthers, and any team that may or may not be interested know what is going on with Peppers and his chance of gettingtrade. All I said is that I don't think getting the franchise tender signed is the deal breaker or the roadblock on getting a deal done.

DefenseRules said:

The only thing that is keeping me from taking these rumors seriously, is our cap situation. WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAP ROOM to trade for or sign this guy. Where is the cap space going to come from?

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That's where I am too. Is there a situation come draft day where this can happen where we don't need 16m in cap? I mean even if there is something convoluted involving Jarvis Green etc?

If not then this is dead surely?

JoeShmoe said:

That's where I am too. Is there a situation come draft day where this can happen where we don't need 16m in cap? I mean even if there is something convoluted involving Jarvis Green etc?

If not then this is dead surely?

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If Iam correct we dont need 16 million just the amount to cover his first year salary of whatever contract the pats work out with him. No reason It cant be like say 3mil in salary then just guarantee him like 4 or 5 million.

slash83 said:

If I am correct we dont need 16 million just the amount to cover his first year salary of whatever contract the pats work out with him. No reason It cant be like say 3mil in salary then just guarantee him like 4 or 5 million.

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I'm so confused (easily done mind you). I thought any team wanting to trade for him had to have the 16m in cap space before any trade could be consummated by the league?

Are we now saying we only need first year salary (3-4m) .. if so that drastically changes my mind about the likelihood of this happening today or tomorrow

This whole think makes sense on so many levels (Vrabel, Peppers comments etc) that I cant rule it out in my own head

FWIW, Pat Kirwin just backed up Carucci in that Kirwin is convinced that by tomorrow afternoon that Peppers will be a Patriot. John Dennis did react that he is in a consensus of one. Kirwin argued that the Panthers have to trade Peppers even after the Delhomme deal and needs more high draft picks to fix their holes.