By Gayle Saunders
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Seeing Julius Peppers rushing off the edge running a 4.5 has got to do two things to a quarterback. Number one…make you have a sudden urge to use the bathroom and two make you scream like a little girl! Big props for Aaron Rodgers staying in the pocket and taking a shot to the earhole. Big shout out to that new helmet Rodgers wore that saved him from getting concussion #3 of the 2010 season.

By Gayle Saunders
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Its been reported via ESPNChicao.com that the Chicago Bears have restructured Julius Peppers contract to create more salary-cap room for next season.

ESPNChicago.com was the first to report the news. Julius Peppers, who recently just signed a six-year deal which was potentially worth $91.5 million a year ago, was due a $10.5 million roster bonus for next season. However, The Bears front office exercised their right to turn that money into a signing bonus and prorate it over the remaining years of his contract. Peppers contract runs through the 2015 season.

With this move, the Bears give themselves more room to bring in free agents and to retain their own players by saving $8 million in cap space for the next season.

By Gayle Saunders
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Aaron Rodgers takes a monster hit from Julius Peppers in the 2009 season. Lucky for Aaron he gets to see Julius twice this 2010 season. Peppers was called for a late hit penalty after laying the smackdown on Aaron Rodgers out of bounds.

By Gayle Saunders
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The Chicago Bears and Julius Peppers finalized a six-year deal to bring one of the top Defensive ends in 2010 to Chicago.

Peppers was looking for at least $12 million a year in the early part of the contract. The agreement could be worth $40 million over the first three years.

The 6-foot-7, 283-pound Peppers is a five-time Pro Bowler who recorded 10.5 sacks with two interceptions and five forced fumbles last season.

“If we bring in Julius Peppers, that could help us a lot,” Bears defensive end Alex Brown said Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “The guy’s a monster, he’s an animal. He’s the biggest guy and fastest guy I think I’ve ever seen.

“He’s as gifted as Urlacher, I think. He’s just about 30 pounds heavier. He’s unbelievable.

The Chicago Bears have also agreed to terms with free agent TE Brandon Manumaleuna.

Manumaleuna is not only known for having one of the most difficult names in the NFL to type and pronounce (perhaps only second to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Seattle), but also for being one of the premier blocking tight ends in the league.

The 6’2″, 295-lb. 10-year veteran has prior experience in Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s system. Manumaleuna played under Martz with the St. Louis Rams.

Financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed; however, the deal is reportedly for five years.

Signing Manumaleuna may seal the deal on rumors circulating that the Bears might ship TE Greg Olsen out of town.

Olsen is not the right fit in for a receiving tight end in Martz’s offensive scheme, which primarily calls for tight ends to remain in as blockers, while running backs are called upon to catch the ball more often ( which is basically the main reason for bringing Chester Taylor in for an interview).

The Bears will most likely have to cut (or lose) another TE after signing Manumaleuna. They also have Desmond Clark on the roster, who is slated to make about $1 million in the upcoming season.

The Bears continue to attack this offseason aggressively, going after the free agents they had targeted and getting them locked down fairly quickly.

In 2006 the league and the players asscoiation reached a new collective bargaining agreement which had a clause called for eliminating the salary cap in 2010. Both sides thought that an uncapped season would be so hated upon that a new contract would be done way before the cap disappeared. When the owners opted out of the CBA in 2008, little thought was given to an actual removal of the salary cap that generally has been beneficial for both owners and players.

Well folks that day March 5, 2010 is here. Friday marks the day when pro football salary cap dies. Free agency starts under a different set of rules, the most shocking thing is no one is really clear where this will lead the NFL. The biggest concern for me and fans around the league is that everything comes to a halt in 2011. No its not a joke folks…The most beloved sport in America is entering uncharted waters…think of the Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon.

“The situation we’re walking into is certainly unknown for everyone,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik says. “So no one can really look at the crystal ball and say here’s what people are going to spend and here’s what people aren’t going to spend. It’s all pure speculation.”

Marc Ganis, who is president of Chicago-based consulting company Sports Corp. Ltd., believes teams will not overspend.

“That’s one of the possibilities in the uncapped season, will some teams be spending far below the current floor, especially teams that perform poorly on the field?” says Ganis. “Teams will have the option of spending the amount on their team that they think it is worth. A 4-12 team does not have the caliber players a consistently 12-4 team has.

“I expect the small and midsize market clubs are going to start to pay in this uncapped year based on what they can afford.”

Joe Flacco’s agent Joe Linta, is optimistic the dollars will be available. Linta’s thoughts are the same of many others around the league His thoughts echo those by many of his colleagues:

“The owners are all wealthy,” Linta says, “and as much as they need and want to make money, the need to win is greater than the need to make money — they already have plenty. Their insatiable desire to win will override their greed to save and make money. So, yeah, they’ll spend.”

When it comes to teams, some can spend more than others. However, the class of unrestricted free agents (UFA) contains few Big time playmakers and is far less inferior to the class of restricted free agents.(RFA)

Under the current CBA which expires in March, the top conference semifinalists from January’s playoffs have extra restrictions in signing free agents. The final four, for example, (Saints, Colts, Jets and the Vikings) must depart with an unrestricted free agent (UFA) before they can sign one. That definitely makes it tougher for those teams.

“I think it is a penalty for sure,” Jets coach Rex Ryan says. “Maybe you need a tight end or whatever it is and you don’t have that ability to go out and get some of the top guys that might be available.”

Many of those top free agents you see out there aren’t available at all. With no salary cap in place, it now will take six years with a team to actually become an unrestricted free agent, while in past years it was four. NFL Players with four and five seasons under their belt are now restricted, which means the team that loses them earns compensation or would have the right to match offers from other clubs.

All pro defensive end Elvis Dumervil of Denver, who led the league in sacks in 2009; San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman and receiver Vincent Jackson; Miami running back Ronnie Brown; Dallas receiver Miles Austin; and Houston linebacker DeMeco Ryans are among the 212 players who now are not totally free because of the uncapped season. While Dumervil, Austin and Ryans might be worth the big dollars they would cost, how many other teams out there are likely to part with high draft picks and all the dollars it takes to sign a difference maker?

“For us it’s not changing,” San Francisco 49ers GM Scot McCloughan. “We’re going to go forward as if there is a cap. … We’re not going to be considered a big free agency team anyway. But we’ll do what we need to do in free agency if we think it’s a smart move.”

Not that there won’t be lots of bucks flying into players’ bank accounts. Teams always want to procure as much talent as they can. If someone perceives defensive end Julius Peppers as the answer to their line issues, the money figures to be there — although certainly not on the scale of the $20 million-plus Carolina would have needed to spend to make him a franchise player for the second straight year.

“When we talk about possible free agents, certainly Julius is one of the guys we talk about,” Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren says when asked if Peppers could have the kind of impact free-agent Reggie White had in Green Bay when Holmgren was the coach. “Then I have to put on my other hat because there are some financial ramifications there.

“As great a player as Julius is, I’d be reluctant to compare anybody to Reggie White. We did it, at the time we bonused him for I think $8 million. Everybody thought we were nuts. It was numbers off the chart. Now think of that today.”

Put it this way….as of today: NFL organnizations have to consider the consequences of high spending in an uncapped 2010 if in fact the salary cap returns to form like in years previous. The money spent on such a player like Peppers or another Unresticted Free Agent this year might be unlimited, but contract provisions beyond that could get in the way of making sure you’re under the salary cap in the future.

Jim Schwartz The Detroit Lions’s coach believes more experienced, but most likely more worn-down players will be up for grabs in free agency this year. This too could could cut short the spending.

“Most of the … unrestricted players are going to be players that are 29, 30, 31 years old. I think the biggest thing about that is, it places a lot more emphasis on getting the player right,” says Schwartz, whose team needs all the quality talent it can get. “You can get mileage out of a 29-year-old or a 30-year-old as long as you have a very specific role in mind for him and he fits your scheme and you feel good about that, because you’re not going to have a whole lot of startup time with him.”

Lots of executives around the league believe there will be more significance on this years NFL draft because of thechange in free agency

“I sense that we are a lot more focused seemingly this year on draft preparation,” Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said. “Usually we take this in cycles or segments. There was definitely a free agent segment leading up to beginning of free agency. Now we tend to be focusing on the draft that much earlier. I will be interested to see how much interest there is going into free agency with the fewer numbers.”

So as the clock strikes 12:00 and March 5th is upon us (which is the official time that Free Agency begins) myself and the rest of the NFL nation can only sit and wonder what happens next.

During the Offseason of the NFL, Gayle and Steve O’ will be doing some video blogs talking about the hot topics of the league and giving you our input. As of now, some big names have been released and some others have been informed they will be able to test the Free Agency market when that period begins on March 5th. Sit back, relax and enjoy the banter!!

Offseason Buzz from Skinnypost on Vimeo.

By Gayle Saunders
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Julius Peppers is leaving home and about to be the test case for how much NFL teams are willing to spend on an elite player in a season without a salary cap.
Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers will not be given the franchise tag and he says he’s looking forward to testing free agency.

“Last night, I learned that the Carolina Panthers would not restrict my availability during the upcoming free agency period,” Peppers said in a statement released Tuesday. “I feel good about having the opportunity to visit with other teams. My goal will be to find the right match for my skill set.

“I am thankful for the eight seasons I have spent in the National Football League thus far; and am looking forward to beginning this new phase of my career,” he added.

The official announcement came from the team on Tuesday, If the Panthers had opted to tag Peppers, it would have cost them $21.4 million — about $1.3 million per game — which the team deemed too pricey. Peppers will be one of the highest-profile free agents since Reggie White. Teams wanting a 6-foot-7 pass rusher with freakish athletic ability and questionable consistency can start the bidding on March 5.

Teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to use their franchise tags.