Peppers to Pats for 2nd round pick pretty much done (mags edits because it's not)

I'm not sure if you read the link quoting the Belicheck basically saying no team should (or would) broker a deal with as many ramifications as Peppers. It's not like he's an unsigned FA, which happens all the time. So if Pep and his agent thinks they can just shop around like an UFA, Belicheck simply shot that notion down.

In other words, teams are going to honor the fact he's under contract and won't, at least according to Belicheck, broker a new deal under Carolina's nose. At least that's what Bill is saying on the "record".

As far as sending Pep to a team he doens't want to go to, the front office respected a guy who they were ultimately going to cut in Ken Lucus when he expressed he didn't want to be traded to the Lions. I doubt the team would do that to Peppers.

 

Maybe Lucas saying he would hold out and wouldn't report to the Lions had something to do with that deal falling through? I don't buy that it was respecting a guy who didn't want to be traded.

 

gl
gl

 

he probably means it, but he was also talking about it without anyone asking, which the media believes to be significant. So there's no doubt he's been thinking on it hard.

He's still on crack if he thinks he can get him for a 34 pick. Rather have him than give him up for so little.

 

Carey, who said after the season that Peppers would not play for the Panthers ever again, seemed to soften that stance.
“While Julius is interested in the Patriots and a few other teams in the league, he is comfortable with the position he’s in right now,” Carey told the Boston Herald. “In the event we are unable to reach an agreement (with another team), Julius will be among the highest paid defensive players next season, and we will be comfortable with that. We’re not in a position where we have to act hastily.”
That could be the first steps in Carey laying the ground work for a Peppers' return to Carolina in 2009 if he can't orchestrate a trade as he once hoped.

 

I would rather pay him way too much for one year than give him up for nothing. It would cost a fortune next year but it would not put us in cap hell for more than one year...

 

Well, shit. I'd be comfortable, too, if I was getting paid $17 mil for a year!

 

Update from Vic Carucci via ESPN
Peppers-to-Pats losing steam. Now what?

After Vic Carucci of NFL.com posted a report earlier this week, saying that the New England Patriots were close to a deal that would grant them Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers in exchange for a second-round draft pick, it would now appear that this outcome is unlikely, unless the people involved are all in on a ruse.

Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald cites individuals from both parties who have now publicly stated there has been no discussion about Peppers landing with the Pats. Carl Carey, Peppers' agent, told the Herald that while the Pats had not contacted him about Peppers, "we have had preliminary discussions with GMs from other clubs in the league." Pats coach Bill Belichick, in a radio appearance on WEEI, indicated that the team prefers to deal directly with other teams and not with agents such as in this situation. He then cited Matt Cassel as an example of what franchised players should do if they want to be traded: sign the tender, and then ask for the trade.

All of this could be an attempt by Belichick to control the flow of information coming out of New England, and the Patriots could very well be internally considering the trade that has been getting so much play in rumor circles this week. But apparently until Peppers signs the Panthers' franchise tender - a one-year, $16.8 million deal - none of it will come to fruition.

As for the general managers "from other clubs in the league", this could be a number of individuals, but based on what Peppers has said he wants, we can eliminate many. It's likely that Peppers wants a deal similar to what Albert Haynesworth, Jared Allen and Dwight Freeney possess, and he has also stated he wants to play as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 system, and for a contending team. A team that was rumored to be in the hunt was the Dallas Cowboys, but Jerry Jones and Co. have been committed to working out an extension for DeMarcus Ware, who is the incumbent sackmaster in Dallas, and having two high-priced players at the same position doesn't make sense. Similarly, the Miami Dolphins could afford Peppers' price tag, but Joey Porter is already on the roster, he of the 17.5 sacks in 2008.

This leaves the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers. Some salary cap finagling would have to take place, but Peppers would be welcomed by either organization. The Jets would have a surefire playmaker instead of going forward with the Vernon Gholston experiment, a situation which could make or break them in 2009. As for the Packers, while Aaron Kampman is slated to take on the role as the outside rushing linebacker after eight seasons as a defensive end, Peppers is an upgrade.

One final intriguing possibility gaining momentum in rumor circles is a trade of Peppers to the Denver Broncos for fellow disgruntled player Jay Cutler. Pat Yasinkas, who covers the NFC South for ESPN.com, cautions that such a move wouldn't fit the profile of Panthers management. However, it would provide an escape for Cutler, and a chance for Peppers to play in a 3-4 scheme. This would likely mean that Chris Simms would be starting for the Broncos next season unless Jake Delhomme was included in the trade package. In either case, it would be hard to argue that the Broncos would be contending any better than the Panthers.

 

losing steam - or just a baseless shitty rumor?

NYJ - wonder if they'd be willing to dump Gholston to go with a top pick? Not if it endangered it being a #1 pick, but it's something they just won't need with two expensive players ahead of him. I don't know how well I'd want him, if it cost much.

No, we're not trading Peppers for Cutler. Stop that already. A QB change would be a charged enough environment, without it being this douchebag. Then, hang the "local hometown hero traded for egotistical douchebag" thing with it and Cuckler would have to be bulletproof to survive it. Here's a guy who couldn't survive the pressure of a trade rumor after he asked to be traded. Poise.