Julius Peppers already has played 16 seasons in the NFL and recently turned 38. He’s had a remarkable run ever since being selected by the Carolina Panthers No. 2 overall in 2002 out of North Carolina, and reportedly, he’s not ready to call it quits just yet.
Responding to a mailbag question on Monday, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer wrote, “a source close to Peppers indicates the star defensive end is leaning toward playing but doesn’t want to commit to it yet.”
Peppers recently underwent shoulder surgery, and Fowler reports he’s been playing through the injury for a while. Chances are, he’s waiting to see how his body responds before making any decisions. And quite honestly, he doesn’t need to make one for quite some time.
With 154.5 career sacks, Peppers is currently No. 4 on the NFL’s all-time career sack list. He’s coming off a stellar 2017 campaign that saw him pile up 11 sacks, and clearly he’s still good at this pass-rushing thing.
One can only hope we all get to see him at least one more season before riding off into the sunset, and straight into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.