Can Bill Belichick really swindle the Carolina Panthers into trading 4-time Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers for just the 34th overall pick?
While I'm sure Peppers will stand by his word and push to play with a 3-4 defense, the Panthers know what they have and won't just trade him just to satisfy Peppers.
Of course for now 'Lina is denying the rumor because they can't trade a player that isn't under contract. But that doesn't mean they can't have secret discussions for Peppers compensation.
Nor will these discussions be exclusive. While there's plenty of 3-4 defenses that would love to have Peppers, Julius won't go anywhere. He has a short list of teams he'd like to play for, including the Dallas Cowboys. If there's a franchise that can find a way to make a trade for a player of Peppers' caliber, it would be the Cowboys.
But New England has an advantage over the 'Boys. Dallas doesn't have a first round pick and can't offer anything earlier that a mid-second round pick. It would take a healthy package and maybe a player or two if Dallas is to make it happen.
At the same time, is the 34th overall pick enough for a player that had 14.5 sacks last year? I wouldn't be surprised if the starting bid is the 34th with negotiations to follow. Maybe two second rounders or the first and a later second could pry away Peppers.
I'm all for this trade, though I am a little concerned whether Peppers can make a clean transition from DE to LB. At 280 pounds, will Peppers be fast and quick enough to play linebacker? He would have to drop into zone coverage a lot and stay with backs, receivers, and tight ends. I have a feeling he would need to drop some weight to improve his quickness and speed to be a OLB.
But this concern is up to the coaches to deal with. It's also too early to speculate about this trade as it may not happen until draft day. For now, the talks are out there and New England has competition. In the past they quietly executed big deals without no one knowing what was in the works. Let's see if they come through in the clutch off the field as well as they do on the field.
