Cassel trade puts Peppers in forefront

With the New England Patriots' trade of quarterback Matt Cassel to Kansas City over the weekend, the attention now turns to the other franchise player believed to be on the trading block, Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers. And apparently it wouldn't surprise anyone if the Pats are involved in another blockbuster deal that would somehow bring the disgruntled All-Pro to Massachusetts.

The idea was floated around in a recent column by the Boston Herald's John Tomase and actually makes a lot of sense. The Patriots now have three second-round picks in addition to their first-rounder (#23 overall) for the upcoming draft after shipping Cassel (New England also has San Diego's second-rounder as part of a draft-day deal last April). With the Panthers currently minus their first-round pick, there seems to be a match between the teams.

Also remember that New England sent veteran Mike Vrabel to Kansas City as part of Saturday's trade, leaving a void at one of the team's outside linebacker positions. Peppers has publicly stated his desire to play as a pass-rushing OLB in a 3-4 defense, so there's another possible link in the chain.

Of course, it's still uncertain as to whether the Patriots are one of the four teams Peppers and his agent recently submitted to the Panthers as desired destinations, even though many are speculating that's the case. And there's also the matter of Peppers agreeing to a contract. As a franchised player, the four-time Pro Bowler must sign his one-year tender (as Cassel did) in order to be traded.

Right now this is all simply conjecture, although there is some reason to believe such a transaction could conceiveably take place.

On a final note, we here at The Sports Network offer our hearts and prayers to the families of Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper and ex-Lions defensive end Corey Smith. As I write this post, the two players remain missing of the Florida coast following a boating accident over the weekend.