On Friday Julius Peppers announced his official retirement from the NFL after 17 years in the league. Peppers made his way to the Bears in 2009 after playing for the Carolina Panthers since being drafted by them in 2002. Of course Peppers moving to Chicago was a huge deal at the time, as head coach Lovie Smith met with Peppers at midnight as soon as free agency opened to convince him to come to Chicago. He played four years in Chicago and registered 37.5 sacks, enough to rank him 9th all time in Bears history. His influence on the field was huge as the Bears never had a losing season while Peppers was around and he enjoyed 3 Pro Bowl appearances as a Bear. He broke hearts when he left Chicago for Green Bay for three seasons. Peppers was one of the most dominant defensive players during his time in the NFL and will likely make the Hall of Fame as soon as possible.
