Is Julius Peppers closer to becoming a Patriot?

by MaPatsFan on May 16, 2009 9:46 AM EDT in Opinion Comment 14 comments

First, let me say I have zero proof of any Peppers talks or if discussions have heated up ever since Jason Taylor decided to hang in Miami. Nada, zilch, zippo. Prior to the draft, we blogged the heck out of the possibility that JP may end up in Foxboro. Julius proclaimed his desire to get out of Carolina and move to OLB. While a 4-3 DE with his talent and experience could, most likely, easily slip into OLB in our 3-4, money was a serious issue.

Then came the draft. After mocking this thing like crazy and picking OLBs left and right, I was certain Bill and I had a telepathic connection and he truly recognized my genius. I was not alone, however. Most every Patriots fan, NFL fan, and analyst felt the same way, too. It hurts to say this, but Vrabel lost a step in 2008. His value was clearly as a mentor, hence the reason he ended up in KC with Cassel. Given we just lost Vrabel, Adalius Thomas was a bit of a question mark along with Pierre Woods, and Shawn Crable had yet to play a down in the regular season, it was obvious Belichick would go after an OLB, right? Wrong.

A lot can happen between now and September. The Patriots are currently carrying 92 players on the roster; 39 need to go. That means two things: a) we free up cash and b) other teams are carrying that many players, too. Any number of moves could be made during that timeframe and I wouldn't put it past the Patriots to be scouring the waiver wire 24x7; Nick Caserio admitted as much:

"I think we’ve got players on our team that we feel good about, between A.D. [Adalius Thomas], Pierre [Woods], we signed Tully Banta-Cain, Shawn Crable didn’t have an opportunity to play last year ... " he said, before noting that things could always change because the team doesn't play a game until September.

If the money can be figured out, Peppers is an option. This would give the Patriots the pass rush we really need and pair a standout defense with an already loaded-for-battle offense. Going into the draft, teams have no idea what the money situation will be. Belichick and crew did a masterful job of not reaching; they waited for players to hit the second round and then struck picking up guys like Chung and Butler. That's some serious mojo. As contracts get signed and money situations are known, we could leave enough on the table to take care of Julius Peppers.

Can you imagine the pass rush...

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Not gonna happen

The money can’t be figured out because Peppers’ franchise amount is around $17M, so the Pats would have to clear that much cap room before they could sign him. They’re currently $3-4M under the cap, so that leaves another $13-14M to clear. Here’s an example of what that would look like, including players cut and the cap savings from cutting them:

Matt Light: $3,790,000
Richard Seymour: $3,331,720
Kevin Faulk: $2,939,440
Jarvis Green: $2,040,000
Stephen Neal: $2,039,440

Those are the five players with the highest cap savings if they’re cut now, and the total savings from cutting all five would be a little more than $14.1M. Cut other players and you’d need to cut more people in order to clear enough room for Peppers.

Does anyone here really think Belichick is dumb enough to decimate his roster just to add Peppers?

The only way Peppers could realistically be added to the roster is if two of the players I listed above are included in a trade for Peppers. While we could probably do without Faulk (though it would hurt on third down) if it meant adding Peppers, which of the others do you want to trade away? Seymour or Green? Are you that confident in Ron Brace? What about Matt Light or Stephen Neal? I don’t think Sebastian Vollmer is going to be ready to protect our franchise QB this year, and I don’t think Neal is replaceable this year either.

by RSNexile on May 16, 2009 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nope...but I do think that

it’s a slow spring day and a recycled Peppers post was unavoidable. It’s our version of Brett Favre retirement/comeback talk. Just thank God you’re not a Vikings fan.

by Danno11 on May 16, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

never know

remember a team can remove the franchise tag from a player too. So if and i do say if it would work out it could be a part of the trade too. Trade a couple draft picks, remove the tag and promise a big signing bonus to make up for it and fit him in under the cap. Then do a contract extension next yr under the new rules. Remember they just brought up the cap to 124 i believe. So it could possibly happen i doubt it but could.. It would be an amazing pass rush if he does work out at OLB. But also we have to remember that he has never played that position before also. So they are a number of question marks about this subject. If it was me i would try to go after him but i am not BB. But knowing BB he does have an ace up his sleeve. He always does and he already knows what he is going to do.. Its just odd that Peppers has not signed yet.. Really odd… But i can always dream for #90 in a patriots uniform.. It would be really cool!

by whizzkydd on May 16, 2009 1:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Carolina won't remove the tag

If they do, they lose whatever leverage they have over Peppers, he’ll sign with another team, and they’ll get nothing. And I’ve seen no reason to believe Peppers would take a penny less than the $17M he’s owed for 2009 under the tag.

by RSNexile on May 16, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why not Ekuban?

I agree with RSNexile that the Pats probably cannot afford the staggering $16.8m cost of Peppers. But Adalius Thomas has the skills to be a top-flight edge rusher. If we’re looking for a cheaper supplement to our outside pressure, how about Ebenezer Ekuban? He’s definitely not Peppers, but he’ll probably come for a song in order to have a realistic shot at a ring. We don’t need to have the most acclaimed pass rusher in the game, we just need someone who can come in and be productive.

by Patsince81 on May 16, 2009 7:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That makes a hell of a lot more sense than Peppers

by RSNexile on May 16, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Never Know

Look i believe already in the crew that we have. Peppers would be an icing to the cake. Also about removing the tag.. What i meant is they could if asked by NE in a fair trade agreement on compensation. Once the deal is set the could remove it once both teams agree on the deal. With BB u should never count out anything.. He always does something no one thinks will happen. I like Peppers and it would be cool to see him there. But u are right that there are other players out there. But right now we will have to wait and see.. But i imagine that something will happen before the beginning of the season.. We are already one LB down for the season so now we have to wait and see.. That LB that the rams released to could be a possibility too..

by whizzkydd on May 17, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are still a bunch of good defensive players on the free market

by whizzkydd on May 17, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I heard on Espn...

That the Patriots are in talks with the Raiders to get Derrick Burgess. Clayton said this on inside the huddle on friday. He said that the Patriots and Raiders have been working out a deal for 3 weeks and its in the “middle stages” of a deal. So we will see. I would love to see Peppers come to New England, but lets be honest, we wont be able to afford him and we still need to resign Wilfork and sign all of the draft picks before training camp.

by KDPPatsfan on May 17, 2009 6:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he's 30

and fast, and also a sack master, except for last season. Same type of situation, 4-3 defensive end that can be used as a LB. But i’m not confident that he’ll be as good as pierre woods. I don’t see him playing lb. but if bb is looking at him for a possible olb, then i’ll probably dead wrong.

by patriotguy on May 17, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hmmm

would be interesting thats for sure to see what happens between now and the season. Seeing if BB will go with the current crew which isnt bad. Or change it up and bring someone else in..

by whizzkydd on May 17, 2009 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No cap next yr to dont forget...

by whizzkydd on May 17, 2009 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That part isn't for certain just yet...

The uncertainty must throw a bit of a wrench in the whole works.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on May 17, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No Chance on Peppers

1. People keep saying there won’t be a cap next year, but there likely will be if a new deal gets worked out with the players association. The cap helps parity, which ends up being a good thing for the league, and also for the players.

2. Getting Peppers would likely force us to lose some veterans and not resign Wilfork and others. The fact that he doesn’t play all out all the time, he clearly isn’t worth it.

3. The pass rush was bad last year, but there were a slew of injuries to the OLB’s and the secondary sucked. The whole idea in the pass rush is for the guys to hit the QB before he can get rid of the ball. The secondary was so sloppy, there were always guys open. They took some steps to fix that, the pass rush may look better.

4. There are guys on the team that might be able to fill the need. With Vrable and Thomas getting the majority of snaps, and Crable getting injured early, we really haven’t seen much of the other OLB’s except Banta-Cain and a little of Woods. Crable could end up being better than Peppers – we just don’t know. I think we’ll be just fine.

by SlotMachinePlayer on May 18, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs