Could Peppers Be a Patriot?

Julius Peppers has already broken up with the Carolina Panthers, but his divorce is not yet finalized. The Pro Bowler and standout defensive end has made it tough for the Panthers to strike a deal that will be desirable for both parties involved in this messy split, but there is one AFC team that would possibly be willing to take in this outspoken and disgruntled NFL player: the New England Patriots.

According to Peppers’ list of obligations for a team he’d agree to be traded to, he will accept a deal with only one of four NFL teams. The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams, and there are two more in the NFC, but there is also one unnamed AFC team that Peppers has his eye on. Is this team the Patriots? While it’s too soon to say, the Pats just cleared more than $18 million in salary cap money in a recent deal that got rid of both quarterback Matt Cassel and outside linebacker Mike Vrabel – enough money to write Peppers his $16.7 million paycheck in 2009. On top of this, Peppers has expressed a desire to work with one of the best teams in the league with a shot at winning a Super Bowl, and the DE is also interested in working with a 3-4 defensive scheme. The Patriots undoubtedly fit this mold, and since the Panthers would rather trade Peppers to an AFC team rather than an NFC team, the Peppers trade to New England could be considered in the very near future.

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Panthers Offensive Line Takes a Hit

The Carolina Panthers cut three players last week to clear salary cap room, and it seems as if released guard-tackle Jeremy Bridges started a trend for the Panthers. Following the release of Bridges, two other offensive linemen for Carolina have exited the team in the last week after becoming free agents, leaving a gaping hole in the Panthers’ lineup. The departure of both center-guard Geoff Hangartner and tackle Frank Omiyale means that all three of the Panthers’ top backup OL heavyweights are no longer with the team, also leaving the team with the huge task of replacing them in the upcoming months.

Following his first four NFL seasons with the Panthers after plucked out of Texas A&M by Carolina in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Hangartner will now call Buffalo home, as he recently struck a four-year deal with the Bills starting in 2009. Omiyale, on the other hand, came to Carolina after waived by the Falcons in 2007 but is now heading straight to Chicago to play for Lovie Smith and the Bears next season.

While the Panthers still have all their starting linemen for next season, the team’s depth (or lack thereof) is a troubling aspect. The only two backups Carolina currently has hold of are center-guard Mackenzy Bernadeau and tackle Geoff Schwartz, both of whom were selected in the seventh round of last year’s NFL Draft and who haven’t yet seen play time. Stay tuned to see how Carolina will fill its OL void!

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