It’s All Up to Peppers

Well, sort of. Given the whirling speculation regarding Julius Peppers being traded to the New England Patriots for a second round draft pick, something was needed to either confirm or deny the reports that have been flying in over the past week or so, and Bill Belichick was the first to put his foot down on the situation, coming out to Boston radio station WEEI yesterday in an interview by denying trade talks with Peppers and perhaps even pressuring the Panthers DE into signing his franchise tender.

Basically saying that he wouldn’t consider Peppers until he has signed his $16.68 million franchise tender, Belichick made a statement that he didn’t like using an agent as a go-between in deals like this, saying, “I don’t think that’s a good way to do business. I personally would not do it that way. I think if a player wants to be traded or wants to be in a position where he could be traded, then the best thing for that player to do is what Matt Cassel did – sign the tender, be under contract and then go to the team and say, ‘Okay, I don’t want to be here, trade me. This is where I want to go.’” Julius Peppers, it looks like the ball’s in your court!

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