Bears GM Emery on Peppers: ‘A lot to evaluate’

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Because of the circumstances (an uncapped year, his surprising entrance into free agency, his talent) surrounding his contract signing, Julius Peppers has a rare and massive contract. He hasn't lived up to that deal as much in recent years and he's absolutely a candidate to get cut in a salary-cap move.

Bears GM Phil Emery declined to speak specifically about a contract situation, but he acknowledged that Chicago will "evaluate" Peppers this offseason, like most of the players on the roster.

"Julius is on our football team. He's under contract," Emery said. "We're coming off an 8-8 season. We have a lot to evaluate. That's what our heads at."

Peppers, as Joel Corry wrote, has a whopping $18 million cap number in 2014. The Bears could free up nearly $10 million salary-cap space by cutting Peppers, so it's not unreasonable to think they'd ultimately decide to move on from the defensive end.

It's even more reasonable when you look at his age versus his production. Peppers just turned 34 after the 2013 season and registered just 7.5 sacks for a terrible Bears defense last season.

Peppers is a great player but when your defense is that bad it's difficult to invest that much in a player on the wrong side of 30.

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Report: Colts RB Trent Richardson underwent shoulder surgery after season



I can't wait to post something positive about Trent Richardson. I remain one of his few believers, and don't be surprised to see me tout him as a 2014 bounce-back candidate. I'm willing to go down with that ship.But as has been the case for basically the past four months, there's nothing to report about Richardson that falls into the "positive," column. A shoulder surgery certainly isn't a positive thing, but that's what he reportedly had after the season, a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.However, Rapoport is told that the operation was "just a scope," and it shouldn't impact Richardson's availability for OTAs.Between two games in Cleveland and 14 more with the Colts this season, Richardson ran for just 563 yards, averaged just 3 yards per carry and lost his starting job to Donald Brown late in the season.



Brown is a free agent and is not expected back. and the team will give Richardson every opportunity possible to be the workhorse they want him to be -- and many people thought he could be after his stellar if not spectacular 2012 rookie season.But Richardson was so bad this season and has been constantly nicked up in his two pro years that he should fall into the middle rounds of most fantasy drafts, a relatively low cost for any starting running back, especially one as talented as T-RIch. And yes, he is still talented.