One of the prime potential landing spots for Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers could be out of the picture this off-season, thanks in large part to a free agent bust at a similar position.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, New England’s front office staff may be a bit leary of bringing in another high priced free agent, after linebacker Adalius Thomas’ production dropped off precipitously over the past two seasons. 

Thomas came to the Patriots from Baltimore as a premier free agent acquisition in 2007, and many felt he would be an impact player for the remainder of his career in New England. But while his play was servicable for the most part, Thomas struggled to fit in with the Patriots, culminating his troubles last season with a public feud over his dismissal from practice by head coach Bill Belichick.

Peppers currently plays defensive end for the Panthers, but is scheduled to be a free agent and has made it fairly clear that he would like to transition into a 3-4 rush linebacker role with his new team if possible. New England has long been speculated has being enamored with Peppers, but could choose to spend their money elsewhere, especially in light of the pending free agents they already have in guard Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.

Other teams rumored to be interested in Peppers are Kansas City, Cleveland, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Arizona.

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