MIAMI -- It’s sounding more and more like Julius Peppers won’t be back with the Carolina Panthers next season.

Then again, we went through this last year and Peppers ended up staying with the Panthers. This time, though, it sounds pretty serious. Peppers’ agent reportedly said he doesn’t expect his client to stay in Carolina and that there has been no contact with the team since the end of the season. At a Pro Bowl practice Saturday, Peppers told reporters he could end up playing anywhere next year and that he doesn’t have a preference of teams. But he didn’t say anything about staying with the Panthers, and you can probably read a lot into that.

Peppers said he wanted out of Carolina last year, but the Panthers didn’t accommodate him. Instead, they played the franchise tag on him and forced him to stay at a salary of around $18 million. They can use the franchise tag on him again this year, but it will cost more than $20 million.

That price tag might be enough to convince the Panthers to let Peppers go. I still think there’s a chance the Panthers may use the franchise tag on Peppers and trade him before they have to pay him. Wouldn’t it at least make sense to get a few draft picks for a talent like Peppers instead of just letting him walk?