KDPPatsfan85

A whole lot has been said and written about a story I posted on this site Monday regarding a likely trade that would send Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to New England in exchange for a second-round draft pick. On Thursday, two prominent voices joined the conversation: Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Peppers’ agent, Carl Carey.

After hearing Belichick during an interview on Boston radio station WEEI and reading comments from Carey posted a short while later on the Boston Herald’s website, I got the impression that if anything does happen between the Patriots and Panthers, it will take every bit of the month-plus time frame I mentioned in the piece: at some point between the league meetings, which begin Sunday, and the April 25 draft.

After giving WEEI’s Glenn Ordway the technical explanation of why there couldn’t be any trade talks between the Patriots and Panthers — because Peppers has yet to sign his his franchise-tender agreement with Carolina and, therefore, the Panthers aren’t allowed to discuss a deal with any team — Belichick did say, “There’s a lot of moving parts in a situation like this. There’s a lot of things that have to be worked out and, in all honesty, when you’re talking about that level of player, that level of contract, those different levels of commitment, it’s usually not the kind of thing that happens in 10 or 15 minutes. Those things can take a long time and they can tie up a lot of time, money and resources and they may or may not ever get done.”

Carey told the Herald’s Karen Guregian, “We’re not in a position where we have to act hastily.”

Although the teams can’t talk trade until Peppers signs the one-year tender with Carolina, his agent can broker a contract with another team that he then could take back to the Panthers. Belichick never mentioned on WEEI whether he or anyone else from the Patriots has spoken with Carey about Peppers. However, Carey told Guregian that he has not heard from the Pats, even though he has had “preliminary discussions with GMs from other clubs in the league.”

Either way, Belichick made it pretty clear that he’d prefer to avoid that path to a trade. In fact, you got the distinct feeling Belichick was trying to send a message to Peppers and his agent to sign the $16.68-million tender with the Panthers because it would actually help the trade process along . That logic makes sense, because the Pats would then be in the position to communicate directly with the Panthers about the terms of the trade. I continue to hear from league sources that Carolina would accept trading Peppers for the second-round pick New England acquired for Matt Cassel (34th overall). That is all the Pats would be willing to give up for a player with a one-year contract, while also having discussions with Carey about working out a longer-term deal that would satisfy his client and fit New England’s pay structure.

“I don’t think that’s a good way to do business,” Belichick said to WEEI about an agent-brokered transaction. “I personally would not do it that way. I think if a player wants to be traded or wants to be in a position where he could be traded, then the best thing for that player to do is do what Matt Cassel did — sign the tender, be under contract, and then go to the team and say, ’Okay, I don’t want to be here, trade me, this is where I want to go.’”

If Peppers wants to go to New England, there is every reason to believe he’d be welcome. But given the complexities of working out a contract that is acceptable to him and fits the Pats’ pay structure and also working out the actual trade agreement with the Panthers, it is clearly going to take a while for him to get there … if he ever does.

–Vic Carucci



NFL.com Blogs Blog Archive Belichick: Deal for Peppers will need signature, time

mayoclinic

I think that the whole reaction to the Carucci article has been terribly overblown - first treating Peppers to the Pats as a "done deal" based on Carucci's initial report, and then treating it as essentially not going to happen based on Adam Schefter's say-so.

If Peppers really wants to go to the Pats to play 3-4 OLB (and is willing to adjust his compensation demands accordingly), if the Pats want Peppers, and if Carolina is willing to let him go because he doesn't want to play there and his cap hit is killing them, then there is still plenty of possibility for this to get done. The compensation and cap hit are non-trivial, but not insurmountable. But those are very big "if"'s. There's absolutely no rush for this to happen immediately, and given the complexities I think it was naive to suppose that it would have been announced when it was originally reported. Sometime between the owner's meeting this weekend and the draft seems reasonable, if anything is going to happen.

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Patjew

Thanks! I was wondering when Carucci would chime in again.

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signbabybrady

Give him some credit for changing his angle a little too. new facts came out since then so he told the story a little different....He did say his sources still say #34 could get it done.

I'ld definitely say there is still some life to this story but who knows if it comes true.

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eom

if I had known carucci posted here, I'd have asked him about this long ago.

ps

I've heard many people mention how j-pep wants to be a 3-4 olb.

has he ever said why this is?

MoLewisrocks

The fly in the ointment, well one of them anyway, is his agent said he is perfectly happy to play for the Panthers under a tag that makes him the highest paid player in the league...
Although it makes sense for Vic to assume that's just his agent covering his overriding desire to play in a 3-4 in NE...

Of course it's also to be expected that Vic doesn't deal with the real news of the day - nobody he claimed was talking has yet spoken to each other. Just minor details as they are all sending each other cryptic messages open to intrepretation via print media and radio...

I love this media spin cycling when they explain to us how multiple denials to the contrary their sticking by their league sources. Just like Curren and Brady's knee and the only way Cassel gets tagged is if it's amputated.

KDPPatsfan85

Everyone knows that Peppers has said "I have maxed out as a 4-3 DE and i want to play OLB in a 3-4" (not exact words but pretty close to it). So he really doesnt have the repeat what the majority of people already know! A little side note i heard from Carucci when he was on PFW that the Patriots owner Kraft and the owner of the Panthers are good friends since they were kids so that can take some part into some thing actually happening.

Also, i think its a win-win for the Patriots and Panthers. The Patriots get Peppers and Carolina frees up cap space to make moves and to sign their draft picks and got possibly more like the #34 and a 6th or 7th rounder (sounds more of a realistic trade than just the #34).

Patriot Missile

I think the time frame decreases our chances of getting Peppers if one of the four NFC teams can put a better package together. In the mean time we should probably still focus on Jason Taylor or at least feign too to keep Carolina on their heels.

CanadianPat'sFan

This is how I read the situation as of now. We do have a big need at OLB and with the success of Roth in Miami moving from DE to OLB I think BB would be able to use Peppers as a serious weapon on his defense. Now how the money works out is the big thing.

KDPPatsfan85

Hey this is from a New Mock Draft on NFL.com. Check out what they say about who we might pick and some "additional information."

Mock draft 3.0: Stafford still No. 1 after solid pro day

Ohhh, my best friend is a Panthers fan and he will be heated if we get Peppers