Head coach Mike McCarthy expects defensive lineman Julius Peppers to be back with the Green Bay Packers next season.
Despite the big money due to Julius Peppers in 2015, head coach Mike McCarthy expects the 35-year old defensive lineman to be back with the Green Bay Packers next season, according to NBC Sports Pro Football Talk.
"I definitely believe Julius Peppers is going to be here. He had a great year. He made an impact both on the field, and in the locker room"
The Packers parted ways with aging linebacker A.J. Hawk on Wednesday, cutting him from the team and freeing up significant money in the process. Speculations started to circulate that the Packers would part ways with another aging, expensive player in Julius Peppers. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
More from Green Bay Packers
- Packers: 3 free agency mistakes Brian Gutekunst should already regret
- Packers president has unrealistic timeline to evaluate Jordan Love as franchise QB
- Packers rumors: Could Green Bay still address the worrisome safety room?
- 3 Packers who won’t be on the roster at the end of training camp
- Packers player is excited Green Bay is slept on heading into 2023
Julius Peppers may be 35-years old, but he’s proven he can still make an impact on defense. Peppers played all 16 games for the Packers, compiling 43 tackles (29 solo) with 7 sacks and 4 forced fumbles with 3 fumbles recovered. He also had 11 passed defensed, adding 2 interceptions that he returned both for touchdowns.
Not bad at all for a 35-year-old.
In 2015, Peppers is set to make a base salary of $8.5 million with a $500,000 workout bonus and a $500,000 in a per game roster bonus. He will carry a cap hit of $12 million in 2015. That is certainly on the expensive side for a player not exactly in his prime anymore, but Mike McCarthy feels Peppers is well worth.
With the NFL cap expected to go up again this season to at least $140 million, and with the Packers cutting A.J. Hawk and freeing up a good chunk of cap space, they should have roughly over $21 million in cap space at least heading into NFL free agency, barring any other roster moves.
McCarthy must feel that they can make the necessary moves they need to make to improve the team with the cap space that they currently have. There is still time to make more moves, but he obviously feels that Peppers is part of the solution, not the problem.
H/T NBC Sports Pro Football Talk
More from FanSided
- Joe Burrow owes Justin Herbert a thank you note after new contract
- Chiefs gamble at wide receiver could already be biting them back
- Braves-Red Sox start time: Braves rain delay in Boston on July 25
- Yankees: Aaron Boone gives optimistic return date for Aaron Judge
- MLB Rumors: Yankees-Phillies trade showdown, Mariners swoop, India goes to Seattle