Panthers agree to terms on first-round pick Peppers

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Posted 2:20PM on Tuesday, July 23, 2002

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Julius Peppers, expected to be the cornerstone of the Carolina Panthers' rebuilding effort, will become the highest paid player in franchise history. Peppers, the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft, agreed to terms on a seven-year contract that could be worth more than $50 million if incentives kick in, a source close to the negotiations said Tuesday on condition of anonymity. The deal, agreed to Monday, tops Carolina's previous highest contract -- a seven-year, $46.5 million deal given to defensive tackle Sean Gilbert in 1998. The agreement came just days before Peppers reports to his first NFL training camp. The Panthers open camp Friday and new coach John Fox wanted the defensive end there at the start as Carolina tries to rebuild after last year's 1-15 season. "Julius is a player we are obviously counting on and it is important for him as well as all the new players to be in training camp because the learning proceeds at an accelerated pace," Fox said. "We were very pleased with Julius in the minicamps and are excited about working with him at camp." When Peppers signs the deal later this week, he's expected to receive a $13 million signing bonus. The Panthers haven't reached deals with running back DeShaun Foster, the team's second selection, and quarterback Randy Fasani, the fifth-round pick. Both are expected to come to terms before the start of camp, but Fasani is closer to a contract than Foster is. "Right now, we're not close to a deal with DeShaun, but that can all change with one phone call," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. An All-American at North Carolina, Peppers is expected to start at left defensive end for the Panthers. Peppers played three seasons for the Tar Heels and ranked second in school history with 30.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2000, he led the nation with 15 sacks -- just one shy of Lawrence Taylor's school record set in 1980. Last year he had 63 tackles, 9.5 sacks and three interceptions while winning the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards as the nation's top lineman.