Peppers says he's done in Carolina
Defensive end Julius Peppers' days in Carolina appear numbered as the team's "silence" is telling him everything he needs to know based on comments he made during an interview that was aired this morning on WFNZ-AM in Charlotte.
"How can you say you want to be somewhere when you're not really sure if they want you there because they're not even talking to you?," Peppers said.
Last year, the Panthers assigned the franchise tag to Peppers, who finished with 10 1/2 sacks in 2009.
If the team assigns the franchise tag to Peppers again, he would earn a salary of $20.1 million in addition to bonus opportunities for a Pro Bowl appearance ($1.5 million) and each playoff win ($250,000).
Teams may assign their franchise tag to a player from February 11th to 25th. If the Panthers tag Peppers, it would likely be in an effort to trade him.
Last year, Peppers had a short list of places he would play. When asked during Pro Bowl week, Peppers didn't place any limitations on his future destination.
"I'm not going to say I want to play for any team or I prefer to play anywhere," Peppers told the Associated Press, "because I really haven't thought about it. I haven't thought about playing for x, y or z."
Although Atlanta has been rumored as a potential destination, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the Falcons "shouldn't touch him" in part due to his inconsistency and "prima donna" tendencies.
Peppers has had double-digit sack seasons in five of the past six seasons. In 2007, however, he recorded only 2 1/2 sacks in 14 games.
