If the old adage of "defense wins championships" rings true, the New England Patriots could very well be on their way to a fourth Super Bowl victory. NFL.com's Vic Carruci is reporting that it is likely between the Patriots and Carolina Panthers that would send defensive end Julius Peppers to the Patriots in exchange for New England's second-round pick (34th overall) acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in the Matt Cassel trade.
According to Carucci, "the Patriots and Panthers are hoping to complete the deal at some point between the March 22-25 NFL owners meetings and the start of the draft on April 25."
By acquiring the 6'7" Peppers, the Patriots would take on his $16.68 million contract that he signed when he was franchised by the Panthers. However, it is likely that the Patriots would sign Peppers to a long-term deal at a much more reasonable price.
Peppers is a monster defensively, who can play defensive end or outside linebacker. He is a beast in both the pass and run defense, and he is the perfect addition to replace the aging Mike Vrabel, who was included in the Cassel trade last month.
However, as I said earlier in the month, acquiring Peppers would likely signal the end for Richard Seymour, who is due to enter free agency at the end of the 2009 season. Seymour will be a very expensive player to re-sign, and his level of play is not nearly on par with that of Peppers'.
Despite that possibility, I could not be happier about this potential deal. The Patriots are acquiring one of the best defensive players in the league, in his prime, and they're doing it without giving up a lot in exchange. Remember, nothing is official, and things could change overnight. But from today's news, this looks like a deal that will happen that will be unquestionably the highlight of the Patriots' 2009 off-season.
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