Dream Scenario
By John White
With two players currently on display as trade bait, the Carolina Panthers could have just had a dream scenario or two laid out for them.
Julius Peppers is franchised and could very well be traded. Ken Lucas has already turned down a trade to the Detroit Lions so we know he’s being made available in trade talks.
Here are two scenarios that we would like to see.
Scenario One:
Rumor has it (or just speculation) that the New England Patriots dealt Matt Cassel to Kansas City to clear cap space. This frees up big hunks of money. So, make a deal with the Patriots for their first-round pick that invovles Julius Peppers. More than their first would be necessary but that can be easily ironed out since they have acquired four picks in the first fifty selections of the draft.
Trade Ken Lucas to the cornerback-starved St. Louis Rams for wide receiver Torry Holt. Call me nuts here but neither player is exactly in his prime and, though Lucas is younger than Holt, he had far from his best season in ’08. This gives the Panthers a decent option at wide receiver and a guy who knows how to play the game and the Rams have made it public that Holt is on the market.
Scenario Two:
Jay Cutler is an angry guy who has been hurt badly by rumors that the Denver Broncos tried to trade him. Make a deal sending Julius Peppers to Denver that nets Cutler. Voila! The quarterback of the present and future will be on board!
If Ken Lucas has to be thrown in, do it. If not, he can still be dangled in many more trade offers.
Some may disagree but I just don’t think keeping Peppers in a Panthers uniform is a good idea. He may not turn into a locker room cancer but the smart money says that he’ll have less, possibly far less, production next season. It’s impossible to see how he would be happy being forced to stay.
Make a deal and get something in return.