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

[Carolina Husker]

I don't think it's even remotely realistic at this point, especially considering we don't have a 1st next year. It's better to over-pay for a Pro Bowl DE than let him walk with nothing in return and no compensation for next year.

[thefuzz]

I said long ago that Pep and his agent were hoping for this to happen.

While I don't think that we will or should, this is something that has been in my mind the entire time.

Make him play, unless a team will give up a player or 1st next year for him.

[rayzor]

Why would we release him now when:

1. That means that he and his bonehead of an agent set a precedent of how to handle negotiations with Carolina. Just sit there until you don't get your way and they'll eventually give you what you want. Trust, there would be no shortage of teams willing to give Julius in the area of what we're paying him. Despite your claims, he is still an all-pro defensive end when he gives it 100% like he did last year for us.

2. We would lose him a year later than the compensation picks would be handed out. If we wanted to get a compensation pick for him, then we should have done it this year and gotten an actual player to train under the system for a year instead of a player a year from now.

3. When it looks like his only two options are to either play for us at a high level, or thus lose considerable value on the market, or sit out games and thus lose considerable value on the market. When it comes down to the nuts and bolts, he either plays for us and plays well or he takes about half of what he wants after this season for mailing it in or not even showing up. He's not getting any younger. If he wanted to sit out a year he should have picked a better time than what could be his last few years of dominant football.

4. When we have a team in place that SHOULD be able to compete for the playoffs with Peppers in the fold.

All in all, if we were going to cut and run on Peppers we would have done it as soon as he wanted to be traded and used the franchise on Gross instead of having negotiations go down until the 11th hour and being scared to death we were going to lose him. You don't reward crybabies by giving them exactly what they want or the next crybaby you deal with will use the last one as an example. Sorry, you're here to stay Peppers.

well said.

[Fiz]

1. That means that he and his bonehead of an agent set a precedent of how to handle negotiations with Carolina. Just sit there until you don't get your way and they'll eventually give you what you want.

This is inaccurate. This might set a precedent for every agent whos client has stated repeatedly that he does not want to be in Carolina anymore, has limited his market by demanding he play in a system he has no experience in, and is going out of his way to impede on the Panthers attempts to trade him by making it illegal for the team to talk to other GMs.

The Seahawks removed the franchise tag from leroy hill after he wouldn't sign his extension, and you know what kind of awful, franchise destroying precedent that set? he tested free agency and accepted the tender they'd originally offered.

Trust, there would be no shortage of teams willing to give Julius in the area of what we're paying him. Despite your claims, he is still an all-pro defensive end when he gives it 100% like he did last year for us.

Assuming Julius is telling the truth, name the 3-4 teams that would make offers for an oversized OLB who has never played in the system after he has made an absolute spectacle of himself in these current contract negotiations and, regardless of what he can be when he gives 100% percent, doesn't play hard.

remember that Julius' struggles aren't just effort related; he doesn't know a lot of technique. either he hasn't bothered to learn or no one has felt it necessary to teach him.

2. We would lose him a year later than the compensation picks would be handed out. If we wanted to get a compensation pick for him, then we should have done it this year and gotten an actual player to train under the system for a year instead of a player a year from now.

you mean release him in the 2008 offseason to get a 2009 draft pick?

and a new player to train in the system for a year? kinda like what Charles Johnson has been doing for two? And it's not like Fox and co have never had success with a rookie DE.

3. When it looks like his only two options are to either play for us at a high level, or thus lose considerable value on the market, or sit out games and thus lose considerable value on the market.

like sean gilbert!

When it comes down to the nuts and bolts, he either plays for us and plays well or he takes about half of what he wants after this season for mailing it in or not even showing up.

do you know what peppers wants?

he wants to be traded but he hasn't signed his tender

he wants money even though he turned down the biggest defender contract in nfl history

He's not getting any younger. If he wanted to sit out a year he should have picked a better time than what could be his last few years of dominant football.

lol

one cherry picked and overrated stat aside, 2005 was julius' last dominant year.

4. When we have a team in place that SHOULD be able to compete for the playoffs with Peppers in the fold.

we can put someone in much cheaper to be run all over in the 4th quarter.

All in all, if we were going to cut and run on Peppers we would have done it as soon as he wanted to be traded and used the franchise on Gross instead of having negotiations go down until the 11th hour and being scared to death we were going to lose him.

not at all.

Gross' franchise tag would have been ludicrously expensive since it goes in cost if you place on a player for the second year in a row. they're also saving money with the contract you're giving to gross.

You don't reward crybabies by giving them exactly what they want or the next crybaby you deal with will use the last one as an example.

this is a slippery slope argument and a glaring fallacy.

[Fiz]

All of the 5 DEs you are mentioning, are pass rusher, JP make much better job against the run and it is there where his value lies....

Tyler Brayton: pass rush specialist

You also have to keep in your mind that stats of JP would never blow your head off because team interestingly running play away from JP in the direction of Taylor Brayton and Charles Johnson and JP is getting the most of double teams from LT, TE, FB combination...

no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO

everyone get the thought out of your head that

1. Julius gets double teamed just because of who he is

2. Teams run away from him

[Fiz]

Peppers had the 5th most sacks this year, more than Tuck or Kampman...

both are better players who more consistently apply pressure and disrupt the passer more than Julius

I don't think we can stand to lose him right now - Brayton is just OK and Johnson/Brown are unknowns.

lol you call Charles Johnson an unknown after touting peppers' sack numbers last year.

Our defensive scheme relies on the DL getting pressure on the passer and right now Peppers is the only DL we have on the roster that has proven he can do that on a consistent basis.

consistent? what game are you watching?

[Fiz]

also i'd like to point out that this "threat of a good example" excuse to keep him, the fear that other players will do the same thing to get bigger contracts, is incredibly shaky for the Panthers for a number of reasons and hardly even worth discussing, but logically it only even makes sense if he signs a huge contract after he leaves.

keep in mind this hypothetical contract, to make this whole ordeal worth it, would have to be worth more than the one he turned down, which would make it at least the 2nd largest in league history for a defender. if you think anyone is going to give him that, you're out of your mind.

plus, there's much more evidence on the side that there isn't a high demand for him than there is for the alternative.

[Mr. Scot]

I really can't imagine this happening.

From what we've heard, there's a staunch "keep him at all costs" faction in the front office, as well as the "only trade him for good value" camp. I can't imagine both those factions giving up or getting overruled.

Trade him for less than we would have hoped? That, I could imagine.

Let him go outright, knowing he could sign with anyone, and no compensation? Can't see it.

[Cyclonus]

This thread is idiotic. Anybody who thinks the Panthers should remove the franchise tag, needs to get their head examined. Free agency and the draft have passed. They have gone through the off season budgeting for Peppers. There's no reason to lift the tag now.

[guyinchesapeake]

From Panthers55:

"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."

I beleive he will get paid if hurt as ell. That's part of the contract. Unless he's hurt from, say, drunk driving. Then there may be an out..

[carolinarolls]

Sorry Fiz. The ability to make the right decision was aborted when the tag was placed. It's too late to salvage this debacle now no matter how extremely they change their strategy.

[Seamonk]

Julius Peppers is our savings account. That is.. IF we decide to remove the tag before TC or the start of the season. IF It's an intentional(debatable to some) blow to our own ability to sign other players and use cap space in an attempt to "save" cap. Then Julius Peppers is our savings account.

[carolinarolls]

Julius Peppers is our savings account. That is.. IF we decide to remove the tag before TC or the start of the season. IF It's an intentional(debatable to some) blow to our own ability to sign other players and use cap space in an attempt to "save" cap. Then Julius Peppers is our savings account.

..not exactly what the franchise tag was designed for.

This idea is ridiculous and if true only further proves how ******* stupid Marty Hurney is.

[Seamonk]

..not exactly what the franchise tag was designed for.

This idea is ridiculous and if true only further proves how ******* stupid Marty Hurney is.

People have used the franchise tag in many different ways. Besides, I'm only saying this because of a book I had a read for a class. Now I feel like making nonsensical analogies to everything..

Also, which GM do you want us to have out of the entire league?