Arguably the greatest football player to ever attend UNC reached a deal on Friday to come back home.
Julius Peppers is a Carolina Panther once again.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers spent the first eight seasons of his career in Charlotte before spending the last seven years up north with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
A native of Wilson, North Carolina, Peppers was also a two-sport athlete at UNC–earning unanimous First Team All-American honors for his work on the football field in 2001.
Peppers has spent his 15-years as a professional steadily climbing up the all-time sack list–as he now ranks fifth in NFL history with 143.5 sacks in his career, 81 of which came as a Panther.
He was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000’s thanks to what he accomplished during his initial stint with the team.
After playing outside linebacker in Green Bay the past three seasons, he will likely move back to his original defensive end position in the Panthers’ 4-3 defensive scheme.
Although terms of Peppers’ contract were not immediately available, he showed in 2016–by recording 7.5 sacks–that he can still play at a high level even at his advanced age of 37 years old.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Carolina Panthers Hire Julius Peppers as Special Assistant of Business OperationsThe Carolina Panthers announced Wednesday that they will hire the recently retired Julius Peppers–who starred at UNC and with the Panthers as a defensive end–to a role in the team’s front office. Peppers’ official title with the Panthers will be as a special assistant of business operations. According to Pro Football Talk, he will have […]

Elijah Hood Signs One-Year Contract With Carolina PanthersFormer UNC star running back Elijah Hood agreed Monday to sign a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. Hood–a Charlotte native–spent training camp with the Panthers last season, and scored a touchdown in their preseason opener before ultimately tearing his ACL on the opening kickoff of their fourth, and final, preseason game. As a result, […]
![]()
Julius Peppers Announces Retirement Following 17-Year NFL CareerAfter spending the last 17 seasons as one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL, former Tar Heel star Julius Peppers announced Friday that he will be retiring. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2002 draft coming out of UNC, Peppers ends his career with 159.5 sacks–a number good enough for fourth […]
![]()
Julius Peppers Nominated for NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year AwardThe Carolina Panthers announced Thursday that they have nominated former UNC star Julius Peppers as the team’s representative for this year’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is the NFL’s only honor that recognizes excellence both on and off the field. Each of the league’s 32 teams select one nominee for the award, […]

Elijah Hood Catches 21-Yard Touchdown Pass in Carolina Panthers' Preseason OpenerFormer UNC standout running back–and Charlotte native–Elijah Hood currently finds himself in a battle to make the roster for the Carolina Panthers, which opened up preseason play on Thursday with a 28-23 victory at home over the Buffalo Bills. In that game, Hood saw playing time in the fourth quarter and made the most of […]

Former UNC Safety Tre Boston Agrees to One-Year Deal With Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals and former UNC safety Tre Boston agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract worth approximately $1.5 million, with incentives pushing the maximum value of the deal to $3 million–according to a report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. Boston spent last season with the San Diego Chargers, where he snatched a team-high five […]
![]()
Carolina Panthers Release Former UNC Safety Tre BostonWith the team looking to rebound in 2017 after missing the playoffs altogether last season, the Carolina Panthers released five players on Tuesday afternoon. Among those shown the door was former UNC safety Tre Boston–who started 16 of his 42 games in Charlotte over the last three years, including 10 in 2016. Boston intercepted three […]
![]()
UNC Wide Receiver Austin Proehl Embraces His Father's LegacyFacing a crucial 4th-and-6, the second of the drive, during the team’s game-winning march down the field against Pitt last Saturday, UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky found junior wide receiver Austin Proehl for a first down on a perfectly executed comeback route. The play capped a career day for the speedy, young pass-catcher–who has embraced the […]
![]()
UNC Football Hopes to Rebound As Illinois Seeks Signature Win For Lovie SmithEarly last season when the UNC football team was searching for credibility, it orchestrated a 48-14 blowout of a reeling Illinois team which had just fired head coach Tim Beckman. Coming off a deflating loss to Georgia this past weekend, the Tar Heels again find themselves in a similar scenario. The Fighting Illini, however, are […]

UNC TE Coach John Lilly Headed to NFL; Freddie Kitchens Hired as ReplacementThe coaching carousel isn’t done with the UNC football team just yet. Last week, it was announced UNC tight ends coach John Lilly would be leaving the program to take the same role with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Lilly had been a member of the coaching staff since February of 2020. On Monday, Inside Carolina […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines