According to the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Panthers Pro-Bowler Julius Peppers told reporters today that he would request a trade should the Panthers tag him as their franchise player.
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.
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