The Carolina Panthers are still in negotiations with their star defensive end Julius Peppers, who becomes a free agent in 2008, over a contract extension. So the question is, should the Panthers give Peppers the big money contract. If they do decide to pay up the Panthers will most likely make Peppers the highest paid defensive player in the league, but I think Carolina can’t go and throw that kind of money around on a guy who had 2.5 sacks last season.

For whatever reason be it an illness in training camp, or simply a down year, Peppers had an abysmal season last year, barely being able to put together a pass rush, and looking nothing like his usual pro bow self. Because of this bad season, Carolina can’t afford to pay Peppers. Sure it works out if he bounces back and records another 13 sack season, but if he doesn’t? The risk is just too great. Carolina could end up paying franchise money for a player that averages five sacks a season. Yes Peppers does have a career total of 56 sacks in six seasons with the Panthers, but in the NFL its “What have you done for me lately?”

Another reason that I think that Peppers can’t get paid is that not only has Peppers gone 16 games with only 2.5 sacks, but looking back into 2006, he only had 2 sacks in the last seven games of the season. That’s 23 games with only 4.5 sacks. This seems to be overlooked because Peppers had gotten out to such a great start in 2006, recording 11 sacks through the first 10 games, and lots of times, multiple sack games come in clumps, but for whatever reason Peppers cooled down, and it looks like that cooling down might have carried over into 2007. It could just be that Peppers cooled down in 2006, and had a down year in 2007, I hope it’s just that, but by looking at the numbers the Panthers just cannot afford give Peppers the big contract, not yet at least.

Tags: carolina, julius peppers, panthers