Report: Patriots target Peppers
Julius Peppers, outside linebacker, New England Patriots?
 Julius Peppers (Streeter Lecka / Getty Images) |
Turns out it’s more than just daydream for creative-minded Patriots fans. According to a report by NFL.com’s Vic Carucci this afternoon, there’s a good possibility it will become reality before the NFL Draft in April.
Writes Carucci:
The trade that sent Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs appears to be only the first phase of some major wheeling and dealing by the New England Patriots this offseason.
The second phase, NFL sources say, is likely to involve a trade that would send . . . Peppers to the Patriots in exchange for the second-round pick (34th overall) they received from the Chiefs Feb. 28.
According to league sources, the Patriots and Panthers are hoping to complete the deal at some point between the March 22-25 NFL owners meetings and the start of the draft on April 25.
Carucci’s report is the first serious indication that the Patriots are interested in Peppers, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who has said repeatedly this offseason that he hopes to leave the Panthers to play linebacker for a team that features a 3-4 defense. He plays defensive end in the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme.
Peppers turned down a lucrative contract extension before last season. The Panthers put the franchise tag on him Feb. 19, assuring him of a one-year contract worth $16.68 million, but he remains adamant that he wants to continue his career elsewhere.
It was reported last month that there were four teams he would agree to be traded to. The Patriots are believed to be the only AFC team on that list.
“Julius is firm in his decision that he needs a change,” Carl Carey, Peppers’s agent, said in January. “He feels that he can thrive in another system. While he has been selected to four Pro Bowls and designated as an All-Pro during his career, he feels that he has yet to develop to his full potential. This is the case of a great player who seeks to become an elite one.”
Peppers was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 draft out of North Carolina, where the remarkably athletic 6-foot-7-inch, 283-pounder also was a standout on the Tar Heels’ basketball team. The 27-year-old is the Panthers’ career sacks leader, but he has not always been consistent — he had 14½ sacks in 2008, but just 2½ the previous season.
According to Carucci’s source, Peppers’s struggles two years ago were a direct result of his unhappiness with his contract, and the source suggested that in some ways he may not be the best fit in New England.
“This is a guy who totally went on strike two years ago because he wasn’t happy with his contract,” the player personnel source said. “He’s also very long [in the torso], which is not ideal for a 3-4 outside linebacker. And he can’t drop into coverage. He’s very stiff.
“But one of the things [the Patriots] are looking at is the fact that, in passing situations, they can have Peppers up front with [Richard] Seymour and [Jarvis] Green. That makes it easier for them to take [nose tackle Vince] Wilfork out of the game in [passing situations] and just play him on running downs.”
Carucci also reports that NFL sources told him the Panthers are happy to get a second-round pick for Peppers, in part because it is less expensive than signing a first-rounder.
That is telling in this sense: If the Patriots’ interest in Peppers was serious before they traded Matt Cassel to the Chiefs for the 34th pick in this year’s draft, it could go a long way toward explaining why they didn’t hold out for a first-rounder in exchange for the quarterback.
Chris Forsberg of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
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