After locking up the anchor of their offensive line, the Panthers turned their attention to their defense, placing the frachise tag on defensive end Julius Peppers.

Theoretically, tagging Peppers would make it more likely the talented defenseman would return to the team. Any team attempting to sign Peppers away from the Panthers would be required to give up two first round draft picks, as well as signing the player to what is bound to be a very large contract.

However, Peppers previously stated that he would request a trade if tagged, and his agent today, gave no indication that the 7 year Panther intended to depart from that plan of action, telling reporters “Julius was expecting to be franchised. We will continue to work toward a resolution that is in line with his professional goals.”

Peppers stated “If they decide to use the tag on me, the first thing I would be doing is requesting a trade,” although he refused to say whether he would be a hold-out if the Panthers attempted to keep the defensive standout who has been with the team for the past 7 years.

Peppers also reiterated that his desire to leave should not reflect poorly on his coach or teammates. It’s widely believed the defensive end wants to play in a 3-4 defense rather than the 4-3 that coach John Fox uses.

The Panthers are in the unenviable possition of having two Pro Bowl players as possible unrestricted free-agents and only one franchise tag to use.

Placing the franchise tag on a player allows the team to retain a free agent player they deem important to the club.

There are two types of franchise tag designations (exclusive and non-exclusive) although the non-exclusive is used much more often.

• A player tagged with the “exclusive” franchise tag must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position as of a date in April of the current year in which the tag will apply, or 120% of their previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. Exclusive franchise players, as the name implies, are not allowed to negotiate with other teams.
• A player tagged with the “non-exclusive” franchise tag must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position in the previous year, or 120% of their previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. A non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other NFL teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer. If the team does not match the offer and loses the player, they receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.