On the eve of the deadline to place the franchise tag on Peppers, a person close to the player said Wednesday that the impending free agent wants to play for Dallas or three other unnamed teams, two of them in the NFC.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the list wasn't supposed to be made public, said Peppers wouldn't agree on a trade to any other team, which would limit the Panthers since Peppers would likely have to sign a new contract with that new team before a trade could be executed.

Carolina would likely seek a first-round draft pick and other compensation for their all-time sacks leader, who announced last month that he wanted to leave after seven seasons. The Cowboys don't have a first-round pick this year. The Panthers would also likely prefer Peppers not play for a fellow NFC team.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney, in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine, declined comment.

The news provides another twist in an important — and perhaps very costly — week for the Panthers, who are also trying to hammer out a new contract with Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross. That deal could cost Carolina approximately $9 million a year.