Julius Peppers: How Not to Hold Out for a New Contract

[KillerKat]

Julius Peppers: How Not to Hold Out for a New Contract

by Brad Mills http://bleacherreport.com/articles/206623-how-not-to-hold-out-for-a-new-contract

The smoke has cleared on the Julius Peppers saga.

What started as an impassioned plea for a new team, contract, and position has ended with the disgruntled defensive end folding like a lawn chair and signing his franchise tender.

Further cementing Peppers' Maginot Line is the news from the Charlotte Observer that Peppers is now open to signing an extension with the same team he so publicly condemned only months ago.

Just to recap the soap opera, Peppers first refused a contract extension after the 2007 season that would have reportedly made him the highest paid player in the NFL.

Following an embarrassing loss at home in the playoffs to the upstart Arizona Cardinals, a game where Peppers was completely ineffective, he came out through his agent and stated strongly his desire to play elsewhere.

It is now clear the Panthers never had any intention of letting him walk, and slapped the franchise tender on him soon after inking left tackle Jordan Gross to a long-term contract.

Instead of signing his tender and working the problem out behind the scenes, Peppers instead decided on taking the most rash courses of action possible.

If you're trying to maximize your chances of being traded out of a city, first you make it legally possible for your team to do so. By not signing his tender until yesterday, Peppers made it impossible for general manger Marty Hurney to field offers from other teams. Anything else would be tampering.

If you're trying to maximize your chances of being traded out of a city, you don't limit your choices to four teams, all of which your current team plays in 2009. While it was most likely an attempt to have the tag moved off of him, all it did was harden Hurney's resolve and alienate fans.

If you're trying to maximize your chances of being traded out of a city, you don't declare your preference to play a position in the 3-4 you've never played before, especially when everyone in the NFL knows you're not built for it.

All of these perplexing decisions have led Peppers, with his head bowed, back to the team he tried to hard to scorn.

Perhaps the players on the team understand this better than the fans, but he'll have to work hard to regain the trust and confidence of those that will make his $17 million salary possible.

Looking back on other holdouts makes this even more embarrassing.

Sean Gilbert was traded from the Redskins after sitting out a year and claiming God wanted him to sign a bigger contract. Corey Dillon stated he'd rather work at McDonald's than suit up with the Bengals again.

Outside the NFL, NBA guard Latrell Sprewell famously claimed he "had a family to feed."

Hopefully, Peppers will be able to console himself knowing he could feed quite a few players families with the contract he had to settle on.

More proof Peppers was tired of the defensive philosophy of Turdovac and now has a change of heart since we have Meeks and change in strategy. Why can't anyone else see this? Including the writer of this article?

[Jangler]

I'm tired of hearing that " as soon as little Peppy gets his first sackarooni, that I'm going to love him again"

The guy threw this team under the bus, burned every bridge, and in turn is getting 17 mill this season, further hampering us.

I'll put it this way, if Julius doesn't get at least 17 sacks this season, I'll be calling for his head(by way of trade)

And I know quite the number that feel the same.

Well I'm sure he will go out of his way to change your mind.

If he really burned every bridge, guess what? he would not have signed the tender and there would have been a deal put together, behind the scenes. So he would be on or on his way to another team. And as far as the hampering part, well the Panthers did tag him. Didn't they? So you are the 10%, or so I've been told, that believe he did this to you on a personal level, instead of when he thinks is best for him and his career. So to this 10% of the fan base, grow the frick up you fricken babies!!! The NFL is a business and in the long run the players must look out for themselves first. Not the wishy washy babyfanbase that think it's about them.

[Sandy Claws]

Well I'm sure he will go out of his way to change your mind.

If he really burned every bridge, guess what? he would not have signed the tender and there would have been a deal put together, behind the scenes. So he would be on or on his way to another team. And as far as the hampering part, well the Panthers did tag him. Didn't they? So you are the 10%, or so I've been told, that believe he did this to you on a personal level, instead of when he thinks is best for him and his career. So to this 10% of the fan base, grow the frick up you fricken babies!!! The NFL is a business and in the long run the players must look out for themselves first. Not the wishy washy babyfanbase that think it's about them.

Those folks are worthy of being laughed at. The ones that point at that 17 million guaranteed are as well. Peppers could easily get a deal from the Panthers guaranteeing him 3 times that. That means 1 cut block in 2009 could end up costing him 30 million give or take a few mill. Then you've got the group that think a team would scrap it's entire defensive coaching staff for one player. Or here's a good one. Last year, most were anticipating that we would lose one of Peppers, Gross, or Gamble. Most didn't see any way possible to fit all 3 in. Hurney found a way, and yet now he's labeled idiot. Go figure.