As expected, the Carolina Panthers have decided not to apply the franchise tag to defensive end Julius Peppers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
An announcement is expected Tuesday.
And so Peppers, who was tagged by the Panthers in 2009, will head to free agency on March 5.
Schefter characterizes Peppers as one of the highest-profile free agents since Reggie White in the last season without a salary cap, and we agree. But Peppers is not, hasn’t been, and never will be Reggie White. Peppers has the ability to be dominant, but he disappears too often, and for too long.
Still, even with the flaws, he’s the biggest name to hit the free-agent market in 2010, and someone will be plunking down a big pile of money for him. Whether he has a deal by daybreak on Day One of the signing period or whether he has to hear “you want more money than we can or will pay” a few times remains to be seen.