Peppers-New England Trade Scenarios

[carpanfan96]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29444849/

makes sense, I heard they turned down the third overall pick for the second rounder because of contract money involved with the picks

[Mr. Scot]

I want New England's first and a second round pick for Peppers.

That's probably not realistic though, is it?

You never know.

[carpanfan96]

From Gantt.

I've been accused of being a conspiracy theorist. Fair enough.

But I can't help but hear what Julius Peppers has been saying the last month and a half, and watch what the New England Patriots have been doing the last day and a half, and not put two and two together.

It sure looks like the Patriots are clearing cap room and an OLB job in a 3-4 defense by trading Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for the seemingly low price of a second-round pick.

And it sure has sounded like Peppers is looking for such an opportunity.

Think about the words he said. He feels like he's "maxed out," in a 4-3 defense. He sees great potential in himself that hasn't been tapped here.

So who better to work for than Bill Belichick, who's made a living and a handful of jewelry out of maximizing the potential of his defensive players. Think about it, the guy made a star out of Vrabel, a nice player in his own right. But imagine what Belichick thinks he could do with Peppers?

From the moment Peppers' camp declared the one mystery AFC team he'd be willing to be traded to, along with three NFC red herrings, New England has seemed like a fit. Miami's the other logical assumption, with Bill Parcells being the Belichick figure that would draw him there.

But this sounds like a fit for all the off-field things he's looking for as well. He likes a big market, because it allows him to get lost in a crowd. And if he goes to Boston, he's behind Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tom Brady, Randy Moss and every single member of the Boston Red Sox on the local icon pecking order. He'd be OK with that.

And the Patriots have the kind of ammunition to get a deal done.

They've got their own first-rounder and three seconds this year, which would be the 23rd, 34th, 47th and 58th overall picks.

If the Panthers refuse a trade, and take a hard line demanding this thing goes the offer sheet route, the Patriots might be sure enough of themselves (and why not) to give the 23rd pick this year and the 32nd a year from now for a transcendent talent like Peppers.

Again, this might not happen. It might not even be discussed. This might just be the result of too much free time since I haven't been writing about free agent signings.

But it makes a lot of sense.

There will be a part of the Panthers braintrust that doesn't want to deal with the team that beat them in their one Super Bowl appearance. And they're genuine when they say they want Peppers back.

But if the phone rings in the next few days and it's an area code 508, they might be smart to answer.

It might just be the perfect answer for all parties involved.

[PhillyB]

From Gantt.

I've been accused of being a conspiracy theorist. Fair enough.

But I can't help but hear what Julius Peppers has been saying the last month and a half, and watch what the New England Patriots have been doing the last day and a half, and not put two and two together.

It sure looks like the Patriots are clearing cap room and an OLB job in a 3-4 defense by trading Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for the seemingly low price of a second-round pick.

And it sure has sounded like Peppers is looking for such an opportunity.

Think about the words he said. He feels like he's "maxed out," in a 4-3 defense. He sees great potential in himself that hasn't been tapped here.

So who better to work for than Bill Belichick, who's made a living and a handful of jewelry out of maximizing the potential of his defensive players. Think about it, the guy made a star out of Vrabel, a nice player in his own right. But imagine what Belichick thinks he could do with Peppers?

From the moment Peppers' camp declared the one mystery AFC team he'd be willing to be traded to, along with three NFC red herrings, New England has seemed like a fit. Miami's the other logical assumption, with Bill Parcells being the Belichick figure that would draw him there.

But this sounds like a fit for all the off-field things he's looking for as well. He likes a big market, because it allows him to get lost in a crowd. And if he goes to Boston, he's behind Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tom Brady, Randy Moss and every single member of the Boston Red Sox on the local icon pecking order. He'd be OK with that.

And the Patriots have the kind of ammunition to get a deal done.

They've got their own first-rounder and three seconds this year, which would be the 23rd, 34th, 47th and 58th overall picks.

If the Panthers refuse a trade, and take a hard line demanding this thing goes the offer sheet route, the Patriots might be sure enough of themselves (and why not) to give the 23rd pick this year and the 32nd a year from now for a transcendent talent like Peppers.

Again, this might not happen. It might not even be discussed. This might just be the result of too much free time since I haven't been writing about free agent signings.

But it makes a lot of sense.

There will be a part of the Panthers braintrust that doesn't want to deal with the team that beat them in their one Super Bowl appearance. And they're genuine when they say they want Peppers back.

But if the phone rings in the next few days and it's an area code 508, they might be smart to answer.

It might just be the perfect answer for all parties involved.

Precisely what i'm saying. see, gannt agrees with me. :sifone:

[panther4life]

just watching espn news this morning....bucs were offering a 1st and 3rd for cutler, assuming the bronocs could have gotten cassel.....now new england has 3 2nd rnd picks and a first rounder

[Mr. Scot]

just watching espn news this morning....bucs were offering a 1st and 3rd for cutler, assuming the bronocs could have gotten cassel.....now new england has 3 2nd rnd picks and a first rounder

I'd take three second rounders for Julius.

(don't know that the Pats would give that up though)

[Squirrel]

I'd take three second rounders for Julius.

(don't know that the Pats would give that up though)

Hell right now I would tak two.

[Mr. Scot]

Hell right now I would tak two.

Two seconds this year and a first next year would work for me too.

(I'm in the 'don't deal him unless you get what you want' camp)

[Wolfcop]

I would really like to get a first this year since we do not have one. Maybe a first and a 3rd?

[Mr. Scot]

I would really like to get a first this year since we do not have one. Maybe a first and a 3rd?

That'd be less than the Chiefs got for Allen.

I think eventually they could get the kind of deal they want, but it's likely going to take time. And if they don't, I think they're fine with keeping him.

[Fireball77]

Something to keep in mind when you are thinking Pep is worth a first is that he may not be worth that to a team if he is going somewhere to be an OLB. Have you ever heard of a trade for a first for a player who is converting positions?

[Mr. Scot]

Something to keep in mind when you are thinking Pep is worth a first is that he may not be worth that to a team if he is going somewhere to be an OLB. Have you ever heard of a trade for a first for a player who is converting positions?

Depends on how good an OLB you think he could be.

Gantt's hyothesis of "turn Peppers into Vrabel II" is intriguing.

[User Name]

That'd be less than the Chiefs got for Allen.

I think eventually they could get the kind of deal they want, but it's likely going to take time. And if they don't, I think they're fine with keeping him.

If (and I'm going to make a big assumption here) the Pat's are in play they hold most of the cards right now. They could easily give a first and their two later 2nds for a "fair" deal, but that's not BB's style he has to win at everything including trades.

If Pep is truly dead set to play in NE, the Pats need not be in any hurry, he's not going anywhere and they can make us sweat it out.

[Mr. Scot]

If (and I'm going to make a big assumption here) the Pat's are in play they hold most of the cards right now. They could easily give a first and their two later 2nds for a "fair" deal, but that's not BB's style he has to win at everything including trades.

If Pep is truly dead set to play in NE, the Pats need not be in any hurry, he's not going anywhere and they can make us sweat it out.

Speaking of which, this from PFT:

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen has reported, with excellent elaboration via ESPN.com’s Tim Graham, that the Buccaneers offered a first-round and a third-round pick for quarterback Matt Cassel as part of the menage-a-trade that would have sent quarterback Matt Cassel to the Broncos and quarterback Jay Cutler to Tampa.

So why did the Pats pass?

A reader has shared with us this nugget from Michael Felger of WEEI. Put simply, the Bucs arrived at the party too late (and possibly with a cinnamon bobka).

If that’s the case, then it all makes sense.

But Mort says (via Graham) that the Broncos were willing to give up their own first-round pick — No. 12 overall in the draft — for Cassel. Under those circumstances, why didn’t Belichick bite?

We agree with Mortensen’s suggestion that Belichick would be less willing to help a former assistant coach than to help the front-office guy who helped set the table for those three Super Bowl victories in four year.

Mort also suggests that the Pats leaked word of the Broncos’ effort to trade Cutler to the Boston Globe as a way to mess with the Broncos.

Um, wow.

We only wish that the Broncos and Pats played each other twice per year. As a consolation, the Broncos and Chiefs still do.

Did Bucs offer come too late?