Peppers Should Not Be Given A Blank Check

by Andy Little

During training camp, a reporter asked Mike Rucker about the physical skills of Julius Peppers.  He said, “When it really hits you is when you see him jump on the scale and he’s anywhere from 280 to 290 or 295 and you see what he’s doing you would think he’s 265 or 270.  That’s when you step back and say, ’wow’, at the stuff that he’s doing.”

He was then asked, “If Dwight Freeney is worth 12 million per year what’s (Peppers) worth?”  Rucker replied, “You know what, the sky’s the limit, he’s very important to us and time will tell.”

Peppers is the most dominating defensive player the Panthers have had up to this point in their existance.  He is under contract to the team through this season and next and will be 29 when his contract is up.  Quite often the largest contract of a player’s career is the second one they sign.  Pepper’s rookie contract was seven years because he was the #2 overall selection.  Most rookie contracts are three to five years. 

When the front office is considering his next contract, it will be a large amount.  Anyone who is writing a $100+ million contract should at least ask questions before spending that amount of money.

How many years will this contract have to be to spread out the large signing bonus?  Have we gotten the best seven years out of him physically?  At what age will his tremendous physical skills deteriorate?  What holes does the team have that need to be filled?  What else could a team get for over $100 million on the free agent market? 

At the end of the day Peppers will still be in Carolina with a hefty contract.  But whoever signs it should ask some questions before signing it.  His contract will not be standard and will require a lot of thought.