Removing the franchise tag from Julius Peppers is the best option.

[Jangler]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ5-BTdcqjk[/ame]

[Jackofalltrades]

Lol!!!

[xtheronx]

youve got to kidding.. teams would line up if we just let him walk... although neither situation is ideal...

either way.. imo.. he'll be playing w/ carolina next season and will eventually sign a long-term deal...

[rayzor]

No it's not. At least the FO doesn't think so or they'd have done it months ago.

The Panthers decided long ago to take this course.

Also Jerry Richarson is an NFL first kind of guy. Telling Julius Peppers you're free of the Franchise Tag because he won't sign his tender sets a dangerous precident for future contract negotiations with other players.

good point.

[panthers55]

Letting Peppers go for no compensation is just a boneheaded move at any level. If we were gung ho to sign Robertson we could free the cap space to do so. We have other guys we can approach who would restructure to clear some cap space. I am thinking Smith off the top of my head. Giving Smith some signing bonus by converting some of his salary and maybe even extending him a year or two would be easy to do and give us the cash to sign Robertson.

Other than Pobertson who is out there we really want? Anf why would we think Brown is even ready to go right now. Other than Peppers in 2002, which DE has come in right away and torn the league up? Chris Long was the big answer last year. He got 40 tackles and 4 sacks. About the same as Brayton did for us.

Truth is we don't have a guy with the talent of Peppers on this line and we won't this year. Bottom line is that the cap money is spent and getting it back now does no good. If Peppers doesn't sign he gets no money. Anyone think that he doesn't play at 1 million a game. If he is that stupid then we save 1 million a game, he sits and at some point we get the cap space back. If he doesn't play at all he is the biggest loser.

Anyone who says abandon the game now is obviously a poor poker player and would throw in his hand when he holds all the worthwhile cards. Sure Peppers can hold out but he is 17 million poorer and frankly what team is going to pay him even half of that next year. Hurney has played this very well all along and it is time to stand pat and let the pieces fall will they will. Peppers will play for the Panthers this year and will have a good season. Brown will sit along with Taylor and learn the game while Johnson and Brayton will do even better given Meek's scheme.

Sometime you have to know when you have the winning hand and be willing to play your cards. This is one of those times.

Weak kneed amateurs need to sit on the sidelines and watch Hurney at work.

There aren't any good reasons to bail now and Robertson is certainly not the answer at all.

[SMACKDAB]

This has got to be one of the dumbest suggestions I have ever heard.....WOW, and I mean....just WOW!

:incazzato:

[guyinchesapeake]

Fiz makes some good points. So do a few other posters. Peppers appears to be somewhat of an enigma. Here's a guy who has been referred to as a "freak" since he was in college because of his size and sheer athletic ability. He's made some unbelievable plays as a DE thru the years. He even contributed to the red zone offense at times during the 2003 season (a role I didn't like, we pay others to do that!). He's coming off his finest season sacks wise. Yet, there hasn't seemed to be much interest in him from the league (not much that's been publicized anyways). I'm sure any team would jump if they could get him for a song, but none of them appear willing to pay anything substantial for him.

I think Peppers had better hope the team doesn't take the franchise label off him, I don't think he's going to get the kind of money the team is obligated to pay him under it. I hate to think of him getting away for nothing, but the reality is we may not get anything for him as it is. As has been pointed out, we have a slew of DEs' and DE prospects, maybe parting with Pep and saving all those bucks is worth considering. I like Pep, always have, but if he's that unhappy, maybe it's time to face reality, and accept that the best we may be able to do is get out from under all those millions he'll be guaranteed.

Just a thought...

[panthers55]

Fiz makes some good points. So do a few other posters. Peppers appears to be somewhat of an enigma. Here's a guy who has been referred to as a "freak" since he was in college because of his size and sheer athletic ability. He's made some unbelievable plays as a DE thru the years. He even contributed to the red zone offense at times during the 2003 season (a role I didn't like, we pay others to do that!). He's coming off his finest season sacks wise. Yet, there hasn't seemed to be much interest in him from the league (not much that's been publicized anyways). I'm sure any team would jump if they could get him for a song, but none of them appear willing to pay anything substantial for him.

I think Peppers had better hope the team doesn't take the franchise label off him, I don't think he's going to get the kind of money the team is obligated to pay him under it. I hate to think of him getting away for nothing, but the reality is we may not get anything for him as it is. As has been pointed out, we have a slew of DEs' and DE prospects, maybe parting with Pep and saving all those bucks is worth considering. I like Pep, always have, but if he's that unhappy, maybe it's time to face reality, and accept that the best we may be able to do is get out from under all those millions he'll be guaranteed.

Just a thought...

Right now he is going to make 17 million if he plays 17 games. Unless he is injured of course he has to play to get paid. If he sits out he doesn't get squat. We don't have anyone who can replace him. Brown and Taylor aren't ready for prime time yet and need time to learn the game. Paying peppers in 2009 is the only move tha makes sense. Next year I would likely trade him or perhaps even cut him loose. But not this year. Once the draft was over, that option went by the wayside.

[bigskypanthersguy]

I would be ok with this, honestly.

..but I do worry, re: run-stopping DTs. There's Kemo, and...?

[Snake]

I was one of the people that said let the man walk but I dont make the decisions and nor dose anyone else on this board. Bottom line is Peppers is tagged and there not a thing any of us can do about it.

THE END/

[panthers55]

I was one of the people that said let the man walk but I dont make the decisions and nor dose anyone else on this board. Bottom line is Peppers is tagged and there not a thing any of us can do about it.

THE END/

Nor is there anything many of us would like to do about it. You think we are resigned to it. I think that Hurney wanted him back all along and is following his plan of choice either get 2 1s or keep him. I doubt he is upset about things.

If Peppers holds out things may change. Until then we are doing what we should, working with who shows up and keeping the light on for Peppers when he gets over himself and decides to play.

[Fox007]

Did you guys see this on nfl.com

http://chat.nfl.com/front/archived_chat/245

Whats your thoughts on Julius Peppers, will he hold out? I don't see him being traded but if he were traded where do you see him going? What Peppers Agent next move?

Vic Carucci, Senior Columnist, NFL.com

I'm at a total loss on this one. I wouldn't rule anything, including a trade, out because it does seem clear that that is the only happy resolution from Peppers' perspective. But it's hard to rule it in, given that he won't sign his franchise tender and give the team a chance to work a deal if it would try to go that route, which still isn't a bad option for the Panthers. Holding out seems to make little sense for a guy whose worst-case scenario is being paid nearly $17 million to not go anywhere. As for teams that could trade for him, I'm still not ruling out that he could end up with the Patriots, the team he wants to play for. But the situation remains one of the bigger head-scratchers of the offseason.

Still a whole lot of nothing, no one knows anything.

[rayzor]

Did you guys see this on nfl.com

http://chat.nfl.com/front/archived_chat/245

Whats your thoughts on Julius Peppers, will he hold out? I don't see him being traded but if he were traded where do you see him going? What Peppers Agent next move?

Vic Carucci, Senior Columnist, NFL.com

I'm at a total loss on this one. I wouldn't rule anything, including a trade, out because it does seem clear that that is the only happy resolution from Peppers' perspective. But it's hard to rule it in, given that he won't sign his franchise tender and give the team a chance to work a deal if it would try to go that route, which still isn't a bad option for the Panthers. Holding out seems to make little sense for a guy whose worst-case scenario is being paid nearly $17 million to not go anywhere. As for teams that could trade for him, I'm still not ruling out that he could end up with the Patriots, the team he wants to play for. But the situation remains one of the bigger head-scratchers of the offseason.

Still a whole lot of nothing, no one knows anything.

he's still fixated on the pats scenario....that's funny.

[Fiz]

hey i hate to blow your guys' minds but there wouldn't be that huge of a drop off in terms of stat production from a full season of julius peppers to a full season of charles johnson