The Panthers have until this Thursday to place the franchise tag on defensive end Julius Peppers. A source in the organization has indicated to Newschannel 36 that Peppers is finished with the team, and they will not pony up the twenty million plus that would be required to keep him for another year under the tag allowing him to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Things could get rough for Peppers. Peter King tweets “Had an NFL exec tell me this weekend he thought Peppers would be lucky to get $10m a year in this climate.”
Brett Favre has a message for his fans but none for the Minnesota Vikings at this point. On his official website, Favre thanks his fans for a “memorable season,” and goes on to say that, “while the season didn’t end in Miami as we had all hoped, I couldn’t have enjoyed this season any more than I did.” Toward the end of his five paragraph statement, Favre says, “regardless of what the future holds, I want everyone to know that I will cherish the memories of the past year for the rest of my life.”
Browns wide receiver/return specialist Joshua Cribbs was convinced he would never get the contract he wanted and never play for the Browns again after he was given a “take it or leave it” offer of $1.4 million for six years. Now Cribbs has reversed his field because his agent and the Browns reopened negotiations and are close to a new deal. On Thursday morning, Cribbs told WKNR-AM 850 he could have a new contract before the NFL scouting combine begins on Feb. 25. “It’s going really well,” Cribbs said. “I’ll be really happy when it’s final and done. I expect it sometime here before the combine, something like that, soon, very soon. I’m satisfied how they’re moving and how quickly they’re moving.”
Despite his own lackluster performance against the Jets twice in the past month, Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco is not yet ready to call Jets CB Darrelle Revis a shutdown corner. Ochocinco caught just two passes for 28 yards in two games, both losses, to the Jets in Week 17 and the wild-card round. “We have a guy that’s had one great season, and we want to label him a shutdown corner.” Ochocinco said.
Cardinals free safety Antrel Rolle settled in as a starter in 2009, but his salary is due to jump to $8.1 million this year and he’s due a roster bonus of $4 million. This is the last season of his rookie deal, and those devices were placed in the contract to force the two sides back to the bargaining table. Rolle has said he’s not going to accept a paycut.
Earlier this week, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco said he would do a Lambeau Leapif he scored a touchdown at Green Bay on Sunday. He did and ran towards the stands and spotted a small group of Bengals fans in the front row near the end zone, then leaped into the crowd just like Green Bay players do after they score.
“It was fun,” Ochocinco said. “I had a little indecision on where to jump at first. I didn’t want to disrespect their tradition, so I was asking as I went along the line. I saw some Bengals fans that said it was OK.”
“It’s big for me and I’m taking it a step further,” Ochocinco said of Twitter. “I have my own application coming out where people will be able to interact and follow me. You know more than through just the keyboard and reading my messages – you’ll actually be able to follow me and when the season starts, it’s going to get even worse. I’m going to really make it fun. I’m using Twitter during games, during halftime, after the games. I’m going to be taking it to the next level.”
Unfortunately for #85, any in-game Tweets might draw disciplinary action. NFL rules prohibit the use of mobile phones or other hand-held devices in the bench area during games.
“If you break a rule, you can get fined,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said in a telephone interview. “There’s nothing that addresses that use of that type of communication before and after the game – it’s similar to other interaction with the media. We would just look at it and clarify it with the clubs before the start of the season.”
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello sent an email to ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio where he states the NFL’s stance:
“We already have a rule that prohibits the use of cell phones or other handheld devices in the bench area during games,” Aiello wrote. Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocino announced earlier in the week that he will be tweeting updates to his account during NFL games this year.
But according to Ochocinco’s Twittering, he is going to do it anyway.
“Damn NFL and these rules, I am going by my own set of rules, I ain’t hurting nobody or getting in trouble, I am putting my foot down,”
Chad is a great WR, but mybe he should stop concentrating on pissing the league off, and focus more on football. He did say that the Bengals will make it to the playoffs this year. What will he twitter when the team ends up 6-10?
