Why Peppers To Pats May Be Tough

Earlier tonight, Panthers GM Marty Hurney released a statement saying he has not been in trade discussions with New England about Julius Peppers.

"By the rules of the CBA we cannot and have not had any conversations with other teams about Julius. Under the non-exclusive franchise tag, Julius and his agent, Carl Carey, are within their rights to talk to other teams about a potential contract. However, at this point, we are not aware of any such conversations."

Phone and text messages sent to Peppers' agent weren't immediately returned.

Still, as Hurney noted, Carey is free to talk to suitors. And it makes sense for New England to start with the player before going to the team because, if they can't work out a deal that will fit Peppers under the Pats' salary cap, there's no sense in talking compensation with Hurney and the Panthers.

So, to piggyback Gregg's analysis of why the Panthers would want to unload Julius Peppers, here's a list of reasons it might be difficult for the Patriots to get the deal done for a player of Peppers' magnitude.

1. Salary Cap

Because the Panthers declared him their franchise player, Peppers is on the books for 2009 with a $16.7 million cap figure. New England, even though it cleared close to $16 million in cap space by dealing Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel, have made a number of moves since making that deal with Kansas City. Their available cap space has dwindled to less than $7 million based on estimates by a gentleman named Miguel who (don't laugh) keeps the most comprehensive contract numbers a layman could keep on the Patriots. While Miguel may not have it nailed, suffice to say, the Patriots could not make a deal with Carolina in which Peppers comes to New England without a new, long-term deal signed. The reason Kansas City was such an opportune trade partner for New England three weeks ago was that they had the cap room available to take Cassel's $14.6 million cap hit on without a new deal in place.

2. Would Peppers Take "Less"?

If Peppers is going to come to the Patriots, hopes of a Haynesworth-type $100 million deal with $41 million guaranteed are not realistic. The Patriots won't sign off on such a gargantuan deal. Which means, at 29, Peppers would be asked to pass on the chance to break the bank completely and just break it a little bit. And his next deal would come when he's what, 33, best-case scenario? Would a player who's bristled at being franchised twice be willing to miss out on a signing bonus bonanza? Or does Peppers just want out of Carolina and into a situation he deems better on a team with a more realistic chance of winning a championship? If it's the latter, this could get done. If it's the former - and as we've all seen, money tends to be a factor - this might be dead before it begins.

3. What's It Do To Pats Salary Structure?

In 2005, Tom Brady signed a six-year, $60 million deal with about $26 million guaranteed. After 2009, standout defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork's contracts are up. If New England pays ungodly sums for Peppers, where would that leave Wilfork, who plays a more important position (nose tackle) in the 3-4? Or Seymour, who's been a force throughout his career when healthy and has helped New England to three titles? Or Brady, who's up after 2010?

The first step in this deal falling together or apart is between Peppers and his agent and the Patriots. And that doesn't figure to be something that will happen quickly.