Panthers must make decisions soon on star players Peppers, Gross
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Carolina can use the franchise tag beginning Thursday
Written by Steve Reed
2/3/2009
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CHARLOTTE – Decision time is drawing near for the Carolina Panthers.
While Jordan Gross and Julius Peppers are preparing for this week’s Pro Bowl in Honolulu their future with, or perhaps without, the Panthers could begin to take shape this week.
Both stars are due to become unrestricted free agents on Feb. 27 and the Panthers have the option to put the franchise tag on one of them at some point between Thursday and Feb. 19. However, the Panthers can only franchise one player, which means it’s possible they’ll be forced to let the other one walk out the door – without any compensation -- if they can’t reach a long-term contract with one of them.
The ideal scenario for Carolina general manager Marty Hurney would be to sign both players to long-term contracts.
But Peppers’ disclosure after the season that he doesn’t want to play for the Panthers likely preclude that from happening, absent a serious change of heart from the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end.
Given Peppers’ preference to leave, it seems the next best move for the Panthers is to sign Gross to a long-term contract, thus allowing them to put the franchise tag on Peppers and work out a trade with another team. At least under that scenario the Panthers would be able to get some draft picks and/or players in return for Peppers.
However, if Peppers leaves as unrestricted free agent, the Panthers would get no compensation in return outside of a compensatory draft pick down the road.
If the Panthers were to assign Peppers the franchise tag and force him to play in 2009 they’d have to pay him a whopping $16.8 million for one season. However, if they put the franchise tag on him and trade him they wouldn’t have to pay him at all.
The problem is the Panthers still haven’t been able to work out a deal with Gross.
Repeated calls to Hurney and Gross’ agent, Ethan Lock, have gone unanswered, so it’s difficult to gauge where the two sides are in contract talks, although it’s not a stretch to say there has been communication. The Panthers recently signed one of Lock’s lesser-known clients to a “futures contract.”
Clearly Lock still holds the cards in this high-stakes game of Texas Hold ‘Em.
Not only was his client set to cash in on a big pay day after being selected to the Pro Bowl and named All-Pro in 2008, but he knows the Panthers are desperate to get his client signed to free up the franchise tag for Peppers.
That may mean the Panthers will have to overpay to re-sign Gross.
However, it may be worth it if that means getting some high draft picks in a trade for Peppers. Quality defensive ends like Peppers, who has averaged better than 10 sacks a season since coming into the league in 2002, are hard to find. Last year, Kansas City traded stud defensive end Jared Allen to Minnesota for a first-round pick and two third-round draft picks.
It’s safe to say the Panthers would be asking for a similar compensation.
Of course, getting anything at all is contingent upon getting Gross signed. And they will need to do so at the very latest by Feb. 19, the last day they can use the franchise tag.
The Panthers have attempted to avoid just such a scenario over the last year by negotiating with both agents. However, they can’t get either to sign on the dotted line.
Now, knowing they have to use the franchise tag by Feb. 19, the pressure is really on.
If both players remained unsigned by Feb. 19, the Panthers will have to choose which player to use the tag on.
When asked through a text message if Carolina’s shakeup on the defensive staff might convince Peppers to return to the Panthers, his agent Carl Carey would only respond, “We’ll get back to you at the appropriate time.”
He said he doesn’t know if the Panthers will put the franchise on his client or not.
Obviously, he and Peppers are hoping the Panthers use the franchise tag on Gross which would allow his client to negotiate freely with 31 other teams rather than have to broker a trade with a few select teams the Panthers choose. Before any team agrees to a trade for Peppers they would first have to work out a long-term contract with his agent.
In the meantime, the clock is ticking faster and faster for the Panthers.
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