Peppers wants out.

[OneBadassCat]

While im not surprised at this decision its almost shocking. I love Peppers he is one of my favorite players, not to see him in a panthers uniform would be fuging terrible. If we have any hope of keeping him we will have to tag him and get a new DC that will use Peppers and everyone else on that defense the right way.

[Huffgolf30]

What has he done the last two seasons to warrant the highest paid DE in the league? Last year he was terrible and this year he was an above avg DE. He want's out, let his azz go. A first and 2nd round pick or 2 firsts is a great trade for us. We can draft two elite rookie DE's to replace him. Or maybe get an elite DE and CB. There is a lot of bright side to this.

[Mr. Scot]

What has he done the last two seasons to warrant the highest paid DE in the league? Last year he was terrible and this year he was an above avg DE. He want's out, let his azz go. A first and 2nd round pick or 2 firsts is a great trade for us. We can draft two elite rookie DE's to replace him. Or maybe get an elite DE and CB. There is a lot of bright side to this.

Opposing teams still have to game plan around him. Having that kind of player on your team can be extremely valuable.

You can't just go by the stats. Watching what happened when Kemo was out should have brought that lesson home to everybody.

[Huffgolf30]

Opposing teams still have to game plan around him. Having that kind of player on your team can be extremely valuable.

You can't just go by the stats. Watching what happened when Kemo was out should have brought that lesson home to everybody.

Watching our Defense this year, most of the time the opposing QB's had time to check their watch before throwing the ball. Included in this was peppers being handled time after time by a single lineman. He is past his peak. The older players are getting flushed out and it's time to move on. It has been obvious for 2 years his head has been somewhere else. I don't get these 'panther' fans who worship one player over the entire team when it is obvious peppers hasn't been dominant in 3 years.

[Brooklyn Bully]

HAHAHAHA, over on the Falcons board, they're salivating at the chance to get Pep. Good luck with that. Some even think they can get Haynesworth AND Pep. Wow.

[Proudiddy]

As I've said since the day our season ended... I've felt the last two years that Pep didn't want to be here. I feel the great deal of it is b/c of how he was MISused, and the other half is how Mr. Richardson kind of called him out to be a leader and expected him to be more vocal before the 2007 season. That's when it really all seemed to go downhill for his relationship with us.

I knew from his statements immediately after the game he was done here. Look up the threads... I called all of it. And it pisses me of that Fox has allowed this to happen. The longer Del Rio has been gone, the less noticeable Pep has been. Great... 14 sacks... Woo hoo! What happened to the days of 100 yard INT returns? Catching a ball out of the air and outrunning everyone on the field to the endzone?

The guy got knocked on his ASS by a mediocre FB in the divisional game against the Cards. I've never seen that happen to him... I'm a little bit pissed off at him as well, because despite what anyone has said, he gave up two years ago. His play has shown it, even this year. So basically, we're screwed... I think we'll get a 1st rounder for him, but it won't be what we could have gotten before the last two years b/c teams aren't sure what they're getting now. They'll think his heart's not in it. Thank Pep!

I don't care what anyone says. I've played for a coach in college that didn't use me correctly and was wasting my talent... He didn't instill any confidence in me. As soon as I recognized that, my play went downhill. My head and heart wasn't in it playing for him and it just broke me down emotionally. I imagine that's what Pep has been feeling, but if it is, I would've respected him a lot more if he would have came out and said it a couple years ago. He just took away all leverage the Panthers had.

If he goes... I'll look at the brightside, get some picks and a player that could possibly replace him... but, they can go ahead and fire Fox and the staff. Because it is their fault.

[Mr. Scot]

Watching our Defense this year, most of the time the opposing QB's had time to check their watch before throwing the ball. Included in this was peppers being handled time after time by a single lineman. He is past his peak. The older players are getting flushed out and it's time to move on. It has been obvious for 2 years his head has been somewhere else. I don't get these 'panther' fans who worship one player over the entire team when it is obvious peppers hasn't been dominant in 3 years.

I think you have to lay a fair amount of the pressure issues at the feet of Mike Trgovac. Yes, Peppers is a phenomenal athlete, but I hated the whole thing of moving him around and sometimes dropping him into coverage. Reading between the lines of his statement, sounds like he did too.

It took the team a long time to finally do the "right" thing and move Peppers to the right side. The move was good, but even in the midst of that they still couldn't resist moving him around.

Peppers is a unique physical talent. So was Kris Jenkins, and the team let him go. Having two guys like that is a rarity. Letting both of them go would normally be unconscionable. I agreed with trading Jenkins because he was a malcontent, but boy could we have used his presence on the field this season. Barring a phenomenal replacement, I have no doubt we'll miss Peppers the same way

Bottom line: He won't be easy to replace.

But I disagree with Samuel L on this, I think he's definitely gone.

[Proudiddy]

Oh and also, I can't remember who it was, but one of the beat writers suggested that Pep would handle this in a classy manner... Well, he blew that out of the water. Remember his statement to reporters the day after where he said he wouldn't sit out if he was franchised and basically he would be cordial in all dealing with the team?

Well, at the end of Sportscenter they just mentioned the story and said that his agent said Pep does NOT want to be franchised and does NOT want a long-term deal with us either. What happened to not wanting to leave us "crippled" or doing "what's best for both sides." Nice lip service.

[Kevin Greene]

I think you have to lay a fair amount of the pressure issues at the feet of Mike Trgovac. Yes, Peppers is a phenomenal athlete, but I hated the whole thing of moving him around and sometimes dropping him into coverage. Reading between the lines of his statement, sounds like he did too.

It took the team a long time to finally do the "right" thing and move Peppers to the right side. The move was good, but even in the midst of that they still couldn't resist moving him around.

It's not the first player they've jerked around to their detriment. The whole Thomas Davis safety/linebacker/safetylinebacker debacle was a colossal joke.

[carpanfan96]

agree moving both peppers and davis around is a joke. Leave peppers where he belongs, First lets do what he wants to keep him around. usually wouldn't say that, but it means either trgovac is gone or both fox and trgovac are gone and I would personally love to see trgovac gone. So in this case lets do what peppers wants and get rid of Trgovac and sign peppers and gross to contracts already.

[Mr. Scot]

It's not the first player they've jerked around to their detriment. The whole Thomas Davis safety/linebacker/safetylinebacker debacle was a colossal joke.

That's a good point.

[Mr. Scot]

Oh and also, I can't remember who it was, but one of the beat writers suggested that Pep would handle this in a classy manner... Well, he blew that out of the water. Remember his statement to reporters the day after where he said he wouldn't sit out if he was franchised and basically he would be cordial in all dealing with the team?

Well, at the end of Sportscenter they just mentioned the story and said that his agent said Pep does NOT want to be franchised and does NOT want a long-term deal with us either. What happened to not wanting to leave us "crippled" or doing "what's best for both sides." Nice lip service.

I saw that, but they honestly don't have any backup for it. I think it's just their take on his agent's press release, and if you read the actual release and Carl Carey's comments about it, there's nothing in there about not accepting the franchise tag.

Yeah, it might be true, but at this point there's nothing to base it on but speculation.

What I find more negative is this bit from Charles Chandler...

Carey told ESPN that Peppers wouldn't change his mind.

"Julius is firm in his decision that he needs a change," Carey said. "He feels that he can thrive in another system. While he has been selected to four Pro Bowls and designated as an All-Pro during his career, he feels that he has yet to develop to his full potential. This is the case of a great player who seeks to become an elite one."

Could just be posturing, but it sounds pretty inflexible.

[carpanfan96]

I saw that, but they honestly don't have any backup for it. I think it's just their take on his agent's press release, and if you read the actual release and Carl Carey's comments about it, there's nothing in there about not accepting the franchise tag.

Yeah, it might be true, but at this point there's nothing to base it on but speculation.

What I find more negative is this bit from Charles Chandler...

Could just be posturing, but it sounds pretty inflexible.

IMO its pep Posturing, for what IDK we know it's not money, because we've already offered him that. I still think it has something to with fox and trgovac. Unfortantly I have a feeling it has something to do with fox more then trgovac for some reason.

[Kyle82]

Franchise Pep and get a first and fourth round for him