Panthers' Julius Peppers: Decides to retire

Peppers announced his retirement from football Friday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Selected second overall in the 2002 draft, Peppers played 266 of a possible 272 games in 17 NFL seasons, ultimately finishing in fourth place on the all-time sacks list (159.5). He also ranks second to only Robert Mathis with 52 career forced fumbles, though the statistic has only been tracked reliably since the early 1990s. The 39-year-old pass rusher was just shy of elite for most of his career, but the combination of longevity, durability and reliability give him a rock-solid case for the Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, the Panthers are left with Mario Addison and not much else at defensive end, a position they likely will address in the early rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.