Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers sounded in an interview with WFNZ radio like a man who’s ready to move on, saying that the team hasn’t talked to him about a contract extension and that he takes that as a sign that they don’t want him to stay.
“They’re not even talking to me, so why would I come out and say I want to be here, when the team is not even acknowledging the fact that my future with the organization is up in the air?” Peppers said, per Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald.
Peppers was asked whether he wants a long-term deal with the team, and he said that’s what he used to want — but not anymore.
“I’m not going to say that, come out and say that,” Peppers said. “Last year, at the time, that was the option that I wanted most. But now it’s not.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported 10 days ago that the Panthers have not spoken to Peppers about a contract extension and do not plan to keep him, so it seems clear that Peppers is moving on.
The question now is whether Peppers, who made more than $18 million in 2009, can find a team willing to give him a raise in 2010.
Pep, we’ve been tryin to sign you long term for a few years now. come on dude
Come on over to the Bengals, Julius! We are always looking for the more experienced, injury prone has-beens on whom to waste money…Mikey boy just luvs the experienced players. Come on and join Antwan Odom and Terrell Owens (if you believe the rumor).
Ah, Cincinnati, where the “Professional” football team gets lucky once every decade because the owner/General Manager is an idiot.
I see Peppers going to the Birds and becoming the incarnation of Jevon Kearse.
For the love of god, sign him Belichick.
Pats NEED a passrush, bigtime.
“I’m not going to say that, come out and say that,” Peppers said. “Last year, at the time, that was the option that I wanted most. But now it’s not.”
Someone tell me that this guy isn’t TRYING to get to New England!!
Dan Snyder checks his wallet
I’m sure Snyder has the 100 million contract already written
A raise over $18 million?
The Redskins wouldn’t even pay him that much.
Eagles need a pass rusher on the left end…
Really??? New England fans never cease to amaze me. They act like everyone wants to play there yet they haven’t won a superbowl in 4 years.
Just ask Adalius Thomas what its like to play for the Pats….
Overated and overpriced.
No one pays him 18 mil per year…even Snyder isn’t that dumb.
Let’s be fair, what you wanted most last year was to play in a 3-4…
That being said, come to the Pats. We’ll cut Adalius to free up some money and sign you.
why do i have a feeling that he’ll be a Titan
Peppers was asked whether he wants a long-term deal with the team, and he said that’s what he used to want — but not anymore.
Please go back and listen to it again. You guys totally whiffed on this one. He was asked if he still wanted out and that’s when he said:
“I’m not going to say that, come out and say that,” Peppers said. “Last year, at the time, that was the option that I wanted most. But now it’s not.”
MDS, print your retraction soon bro. You are dead wrong. I’m not dumb enough to think that he wants to stay in Carolina, but you are misrepresenting what he said in the interview.
I don’t think he wants a raise over 18 million a year. That’s the salary he was given to compensate for Carolina applying the franchise tag. He just wants a long term contract, most likely less than that a year but front loaded.
Hope the Bears pony up considering they won’t be wasting money on draft picks this year… again.
Peppers will reunite with Capers in Green Bay
if julius peppers is overrated i’m barack obama. he’s the best de of the last decade with dwight freeney.
Giving him a raise is a throw away comment . . . it shouldn’t even have been written.
No team (salary cap or not) is going to give him $18M per year on a long term deal. The whole point of the Franchise Player Tag salary structure is to incent both sides to work out a long term deal, $18M should have essentially been his signing bonus and 1st year base salary. The Carolina Panthers made a huge mistake by not negotiating a 7 year deal, that they could have easily structured so that Peppers could have been announced as having a larger contract than Haynesworth signed. They could have structured his contract something like this:
Guaranteed Money
$12M – signing bonus
$6.5M – yr 1 base
$8M – yr 2 roster bonus
$7M – yr 2 base
$8M – yr 3 base
Non-Guaranteed Money
$8.5M – yr 4 base
$21M – yr 5 roster bonus
$9.0M – yr 5 base
$11.0M – yr 6 base
$12.0M – yr 7 base
And suddenly Peppers has a 7 year $103M contract, exceeding Haynesworth by $3M and thereby signing the largest defensive player contract in the history of the league. Of course this is really a 3 year contract with a 4th year option for $41.5M/3 yrs or $50M/4 years. Either way they would have Peppers for roughly $11.75M/year for years 2 & 3 or $10.7M/year for years 2, 3 & 4. While creating the face saving illusion that he landed a $100M+ contract. By the way this is the exact same structure of the Haynesworth contract, with really pays him $41M over 3 years or $48.2M over 4 years, the back three years of his contract are garbage.
That is the beauty of NFL free agent contracts . . . most are really only 3 or 4 year contracts with a bunch of hoopla thrown in the back years for posturing . . . don’t believe the hype . . . even Snyder isn’t stupid enough to give $100M to an aging player.
“Come on over to the Bengals, Julius! We are always looking for the more experienced, injury prone has-beens on whom to waste money…Mikey boy just luvs the experienced players. Come on and join Antwan Odom and Terrell Owens (if you believe the rumor).
Ah, Cincinnati, where the “Professional” football team gets lucky once every decade because the owner/General Manager is an idiot.”
All, The example of a pessimistic Bengal fan who COMPLAINS and BLEEDS at everything….His team gets a Top 5 defense a playoff appearance we keep our most top FA( Mike Zimmer) and you whine like a lil 8itch??? When is the last time we had a defense before this year???? 87′-90′??? cause 2001 was a fluke! Go choose another team if you are fed up! And if TO comes here and lights it up you will be the 1st one hatin cryin and whinin but behind closed doors you will have a TO Tat on your chest….Choose a new team OR GET ON BOARD!
Signed,
Bengals Pessimistic Fan Stopper…
Peppers is a sullen, somber, moody brother.
But he is talented as hell and gets to QBs like nobody else, other than Dwight Freeney.
Peppers is a special athlete.
He’d make a great fit in Philly or Green Bay. Packer fans would love to see him opposite Clay Matthews going after QBs like Favre and Manning.
Reggie White was 30 when he signed with the Packers and made them into a great defense. Peppers has the ability to take that defense to the “great” level.
Unfortunately, the Packers have to resign a good portion of their key players. They won’t have the money or balls to go after Peppers.
Sorry won’t happen.
Well guys I’d love to join in your conversation about which team needs Peppers the most. Problem is when you have Ray Edwards and Jared Allen, lol, well I don’t need to explain it to any of you…or your quarterbacks.
JWill…there’s an issue with your thinking…when has a 35-year old wide receiver “lit it up”?
Jerry Rice is the answer and TO does not have the work ethic Jerry still does today.
The defense isn’t the issue with my beloved (season ticket holder since ’71, so I’m allowed to complain) Bengals. Bob Bratkowski needed to be fired 4 years ago when he stuck his head where the sun doesn’t shine after Carson went down. He STILL hasn’t pulled it out.
MuskyHunter2542 says:
February 9, 2010 9:53 AM
Peppers will reunite with Capers in Green Bay
Peppers. Capers. Hmmmm.
A little oil (extra-virgin!). Garlic. Parsley. Tomato. Onion. Olives.
Over Cavatelli. Or maybe angelhair. Romano.
Now, what wine?
Some of you Vikes fans are like fifth graders with an insecurity issue. “Well, I can get across the monkey bars in five seconds, I did it in three last year!” BTW, pretty sure Whitworth blanked Allen this year, didn’t change the outcome, but perhaps you should save the verbal fellatio for at least a few months, you wouldn’t want Allen “peaking” all over you before the season starts. Douche.
Jwill, very funny, but I can’t blame the cat for being pessimistic, look at the track record. That said, I would be freaking ecstatic to sign Peppers to replace/platoon Geathers, it will make the D line DANGEROUS man!!!
He will have to take a pay cut to get a long term deal anywhere. You can forget about the Patriots, they need to resign Brady and they are not the type of team to pay big money to free agents.
No one can deny the talent Peppers has. Its his drive that comes into question. There are many games where the guy plays like its a practice. Players like that are too much of a risk to coast once the big dollars come along.
Everybody are forgetting pep will stay within the divison to get back at the panther’s,If my buc’s was going to pay haynsworth well over 100mill last year,bet your ass that will attempt to get pep to sure up our front 4,we already already white on the other side add pep and will are dangerous in the nfc south,plus we have the #3 overall to sure up the middle if we land suh plus pep with white damn look out.
MuskyHunter2542 says:
February 9, 2010 9:53 AM
Peppers will reunite with Capers in Green Bay
————
Um. Capers was out of Carolina loooong before Peppers got there. So what is this reunite you speak of?
Ahman Green is returning to Green Bay to reunite with Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr. Dumbshit.
Ha Ha, jlbay thinks he is a GM. What happened, your wife is tired of hearing you babble so you took two hours to write a post on PFT? Ha Ha.
jlbay, after reading PFT everyday for a long time now, I have become exasperated with the weak, predjudiced by team, emotional, and irrational comments posted.
However, your comment may have been the best I have read ever here. Thanks for adding value to the board.
Sure…bring in a guy who @ 30 has never played in a 3-4, isn’t the brightest crayon in the box, wants big money and shows inconsistent effort. That’s EXACTLY what NE needs in their LR this upcoming year. NOT.
he’ll be an Eagle
Regardless of team, I think Peppers has the ability to be great in a 3-4 as an OLB. That being said, it’s a HUGE risk. It would probably prolong his career as well. Then again, I’m no GM. That being said, I wouldn’t give him the kind of money he wants no matter what position he plays.
If any team should sign him, it should be the Packers or an NFC North team. That way he could pad his stats against Bryant “Turnstile” McKinnie twice a season for years!
Tannenbaum, Rex and Woody need to make sure he doesn’t end up in New England or Miami.
you build a team around players like peppers i don’t care if we had to switch to a 3/4 pepp belongs in carolina marty hurney doesnt that being said we have an excellent team in carolina just keep jake away
whats the real problem carolina throws money at him over and over why does he keep actin like a prima donna? pep your momma raised you better than that if you don’t like being here just say why