NFL Thoughts

Julius Peppers is one heck of a talent, but please let me know why I would want him on my team for over $30 million over the next 2 seasons when he is only one year removed from a 2.5 sack season? 8 Years and 70.5 sacks are fine numbers, but I am sure there is another option for teams that will provide more bang for the buck than Peppers. Are we sure that a player eight years into an NFL career is ready to continue at a breakneck pace and lead a team to greatness? Peppers has expressed his desire to be traded and those types of players, the kind that ask for trades, are the guys that are selfish and are not winners. Give me a player that is willing to restructure his contract to help the team and I will show you someone who is a leader by example and otherwise. I think moving forward in the NFL it will be difficult to win with any one player eating up such a large portion of the cap.
There are plenty of rumors out there stating that Peppers may be traded to the Patriots, but this does not make any sense. The Pats are not going to pay anyone more than Tom Brady, they operate their franchise the way it should be, never pay anyone more than your best player. The Patriots also play the 3-4 defense and Peppers has always been in a 4-3 scheme. Admittedly, Peppers is athletic enough to do darn near anything he wants, but taking a chance at $16 million per season that Peppers can make the transition is not the type of move that has kept New England at the top of the NFL for the better part of a decade.
The Panthers should be licking their chops to get rid of Peppers. Carolina has so many holes to fill they could use the cap room to improve a roster with some obvious flaws. The Panthers have lost serious depth at offensive line, which has been a strength, as was shown by their success running the ball last season. The offensive line must continue to be a strong point because QB Jake Delhome is going to need time. One can only imagine Delhome without time, after the dismal performance in the playoffs last season. The Panthers have absolutely nothing at WR after Steve Smith, who by himself, makes the position look better than it is. It is hard to imagine another season with Muhsin Muhammed as the second receiver and Dwayne Jarrett who was third on the depth chart last year and had 10 receptions.
The futures of at least 2 teams will hinge on the departure and arrival of Pro Bowler Julius Peppers and with many teams transitioning to the 3-4 this might not be the best time to get rid of a high dollar 4-3 defensive end. However, plenty of teams will want to add a premier defensive end after the success of teams rushing the passer, take a look at the last 2 Super Bowl champs, both of whom relied on pressuring the passer. Peppers would add dynamic pass rusher to some lucky team, but he comes with questions marks and a hefty price tag.