PFT: No tag for Pep

[Swarly]

I don't understand why people think 21million will hurt this franchise so much. As of 2009, we are the 12th most valuable franchise in the NFL, worth an estimated 1 BILLION dollars.

Franchising Peppers will not hurt the Panthers AT ALL. It won't tie all the funds up in one player, it won't limit our free agency options. The free agent pool this year is weak anyways, none of the players are "high value" and if they are, they will be tagged or signed or traded, not let go for free.

One thing that irritates me is people mentioning Wilfork. Do you guys realize he is going to demand a ridiculous contract too?

Despite what some armchair GM's/ESPN writers who make up 90% of their stories are thinking, Hurney is not an idiot. John Fox is not an idiot. They're both fully capable of doing their job, and are not going to let arguably one of the top defensive players in the league walk for free because they're afraid of dropping a meager(to them, not us) 21 million $ IN AN UNCAPPED YEAR in case a trade or long term deal can't work out.

Everything on ESPN or PFT or NFL about Peppers is PURELY SPECULATION, take everything said their with a grain of salt, because it's likely completely made up.

[Jangler]

I didn't say you did. But the contract would have made him the highest paid DE at the time. And last year he wanted to be paid more than Haynesworth. So, it still comes back to the question..."WHAT CHANGED?"

and just think, if he had signed that contract, he would be getting an extension by now..

[carpanfan96]

I think the telling sign on what they would do with peppers this year happened in last years draft.

[carpanfan96]

He never said he wants to be the highest paid DE. All he said was that he didn't deserve it after they offered it to him after 2007.

He also said in the same interview that it would've barely made him the highest paid defensive player in the league and he didn't feel like they really wanted him to be there because of that offer......

[Sam Mills Fan]

Kurb, if you're going to go that route and give reasons why those great players should be let go, you have to also acknowledge that there are plenty of issues around Peppers as well as to why he should be let go. You're using a double standard otherwise.

[Samuel L. Jackson]

Yeah lets give up on the best DE in football just so we can go out and get a behaviorally/injury challenged WR, a guy that has talked himself off his current team by whining about playing time, a guy that deliberately stomps on an opposing player, or other overrated players quite possibly not even having any reasoning behind it other than their last name is not Peppers...

[CatMan72]

You don't let good players leave if you have a choice... but if it's going to take 21 million dollars for one year to get one of those good players to stay, and that players is not an elite QB, then you don't have much of a choice.

Don't get me wrong, I would love for Peppers to stay - but I can understand why this organization doesn't want to get stuck with the 21 million dollar price tag.

[Pimpdaddy]

He also said in the same interview that it would've barely made him the highest paid defensive player in the league and he didn't feel like they really wanted him to be there because of that offer......

Yep.... Hes full of sh!t. JR gave him a vote of confidence by asking him to be the leader of the defence in 2007. He knew he was wanted... he fell apart like a cheap walmart lawn chair. There is no reason he should ever be the highest paid DE because he doesnt have the heart....

[tondi]

Yeah lets give up on the best DE in football just so we can go out and get a behaviorally/injury challenged WR, a guy that has talked himself off his current team by whining about playing time, a guy that deliberately stomps on an opposing player, or other overrated players quite possibly not even having any reasoning behind it other than their last name is not Peppers...

You are only person outside the Peppers family who believes he is the best DE in football.

[Peppers90 NC]

We should have traded him in 2007 or 2008 when we had the chance. We should have settled for less than a first-round pick when we had the chance last year.

We're stuck with no other option now other than to let him walk. The incompetence of Marty Hurney leaves us with no good option.

Hey since you have great hindsight, maybe your foresight is equally as accurate. I have $2,500 laying around, any suggestions where to invest it?

[Jangler]

Anything Greek...

[KillerKat]

"That deal was to make me the highest-paid defensive player, but slightly, very slightly," Peppers said. "I didn't really feel the sincerity behind that deal."

But later in the rambling answer during the radio phone interview, Peppers also indicated he wasn't worthy of such a deal.

"I had 2½ sacks that season and they're coming to offer me being the highest-paid defensive player. Like, I can't even accept that," Peppers said. "I'm not deserving of that."

Like I said.

Who knows why he didn't feel the sincerity. Maybe he feels he deserves to be paid by how he plays instead of by name. The last paragraph is more clear about how he is.

[Swarly]

You are only person outside the Peppers family who believes he is the best DE in football.

Who is actually better? There are players who are comparable to him and equal in talent(Freeney, Jared Allen) but he's on the same level as they are. He's a top 3 DE and a top 10 defensive player in the league, even non-panther fans will tell you that.

[GoreMetalJunkie]

Probably the same "league source" as Schefter (initials - CC)

No.. much worse. It's from Mike Florio and what he "thinks"

I hate that guy.