Go ahead and accept the fact this is Peppers last year.

[bleys]

Brown has never played a down and Charles Johnson is average at best......how does that make you feel good about the next years minus Pep? Pep right now is the DL.

first of all, he said (and keyword here), they will be really good in the next couple years... So I think thats pretty far away to not freak over it. We can address a DE in FA next year if Pep isn't around. He also said with the 20 mil next year that he will be getting, that we could get someone in free agency... which I address and maybe can comfort you a bit by a response I gave in another thread.

[panthers55]

We made a decision this year based on looking at all the factors. Next we will do the same. Whether we keep him next year and tag him or decide to let him go will be decided by things like whether we have a new CBA, if next year is capped or not, how he performs this year, whether Brown is ready to start next year, how Johnson and Brayton do, whether we can trade him or not if we tag him and other issues.

It is incredibly premature to say we will tag him or not or whether he will be here. Folks who were fine with paying 40 million guaranteed and a total of 100 million for 5 years were assuming a price of 20 million a year. So why wouldn't we pay a flat 20 million next year with no guarantee beyond that. Seems we may better of doing it one year at a time. If he gets seriously hurt or slacks off we cut him loose with no dead cap space. If he performs we keep through 2010 and still save at least 20 million over what we would have been on the hook if we cut him loose at that point.

[Fireball77]

I really wonder how much this whole CBA thing is affecting the way teams think and do their deals. I don't think we will ever know though.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

He will be here this year and then next year after he is tagged again. Then instead of waiting so long to get a deal done, they will make that the number one priority in the off-season.

[carolinarolls]

So, cause they didn't get a long term contract worked out in two weeks, he's gone?

I've already embraced Brown. Peppers has nothing to do with doing that.

Peppers is far from gone. He has this season, in which he may decide he wants to only play for the Panthers. If not, then we'll cross that bridge when we get there. It won't be difficult for me. Don't know why people gotta dramatise everything.

It is quite funny that so many people who begged for him to sign the tender and talked about how great he would fit in the "new system" and how great he would work with Brown are now planning his funeral and making wild expectations about rookies like Brown as a replacement and perpetually average DE's like Johnson as the sure-fire sidekick since he did not sign long term.

half the damn board is made up of bi-polar lunatics

[Pazhoosier89]

If next year is uncapped and he has a season similar to last year he will most likely be tagged again and we will go through this charade one more time. However if Johnson and Brown both perform superbly this year we may be able to let him go. I would still want to tag him and trade him for something of value though.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Source: Rock Hill Herald

The Panthers are expected to apply the franchise tag to Julius Peppers yet again in 2010despite the $20+ million guaranteed cost.

Peppers makes a $16.683 million base this year. Tagging him again would require a 120% raise, so his exact 2010 salary would be $20.0196 million. He will be 30 then, so Carolina probably won't want to commit long term.

[CanadianCat]

half the damn board is made up of bi-polar lunatics

i know its so true

[WilkinsonDonnie]

So what can we do with Peppers at the end of next year. Can you Tag someone back to back years? I would hate to just let the guy walk with no compensation. If we were to let him enter FA wouldnt we receive a compensatory pick or does Peppers age prohibit that? Please need answers:

[bleys]

It is quite funny that so many people who begged for him to sign the tender and talked about how great he would fit in the "new system" and how great he would work with Brown are now planning his funeral and making wild expectations about rookies like Brown as a replacement and perpetually average DE's like Johnson as the sure-fire sidekick since he did not sign long term.

half the damn board is made up of bi-polar lunatics

there may be people here who are bi-polar, but that's another issue... Just unsure who all these "people" are you keep talking about.

So what can we do with Peppers at the end of next year. Can you Tag someone back to back years? I would hate to just let the guy walk with no compensation. If we were to let him enter FA wouldnt we receive a compensatory pick or does Peppers age prohibit that? Please need answers:

You can tag players back to back to back to back, but under this CBA you can only tag 1 player and it goes up each year.

Also, we would get compensated for him leaving, and I've heard it would be a 3rd round pick, but I can't verify that..

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

So what can we do with Peppers at the end of next year. Can you Tag someone back to back years? I would hate to just let the guy walk with no compensation. If we were to let him enter FA wouldnt we receive a compensatory pick or does Peppers age prohibit that? Please need answers:

Yes, you can tag a player back ti back years.