Julius Peppers: Will the Green Bay Packers linebackers be back?

Julius Peppers is a future Hall-of-Famer who came to the Green Bay Packers three years ago after the Chicago Bears couldn’t afford him.

Since then, he has added a presence with his big plays on the Packers defense; he was a force that made the team better.

But there were other times during his stay in Green Bay when he disappeared for a while, only to re-emerge to make a strip sack when the team needed it most.

That’s what Julius Peppers has done for more than a decade and something he could probably continue to do until he’s 40.

Peppers has been known to players as a physical freak – never injured and always producing.

Need a sack?

Peppers has been there to provide.

If fact, his 8.5 sacks this past season, albeit somewhat quiet, was second on the team only to Nick Perry‘s career-high 11.

One could say that Peppers has outperformed Clay Matthews and the rest of the younger guys on the team.

But is it enough to guarantee him a placeholder on the Green Bay Packers’ 2017 roster?

Let’s take a closer look …

Would Julius Peppers be a value to the Packers?

Many think Peppers will retire from football altogether, because he realizes his time is short.

Others think he will continue his football journey and his search for a Super Bowl ring with another team.

While others think the Packers should find a way to re-sign him because of his leadership and physical skills.

The question is whether the Packers want to carry a salary for a guy who has become a role player on the team.

But what a role player he has played.

When injuries to Clay Matthews and Nick Perry came about in 2016, Peppers, with all his experience and savvy, stepped in to fill those voids.

With 25 sacks over three years in Green Bay, Peppers moved into fifth place on the NFL’s career sack list. He has 147 in his career, 81 that came during his time in Carolina and 36 during his time in Chicago.

Free agency kicks in early this spring and it should become evident early in the process what the Packers intend to do with Perry.

We saw Matthews’ play decline last year; mostly because of a nagging shoulder injury, Matthews was a shell of himself for most of the season.

Perry had his best year yet as a Packer and most likely earned a long-term contract from the Packers … though his injury history did continue this past season.

With the improved play by Nick Perry and the fact that Clay Matthews is signed through 2018, as well as the marked improvement of free agent Datone Jones, the Packers may be more inclined to go with the younger set.

Throw in the drafting of Kyler Fackrell and the spotty big plays by Jayrone Elliott, Peppers just may be the odd man out when the offseason finally hits in Green Bay.

Or is he?

Had the Packers won a Super Bowl this season, Peppers may have called it a career, but that didn’t come to fruiting, so Peppers’ future is hanging in the balance until we get a clear message from Packers management on how they plan to proceed with him.

But in the end, we expect that the only way he stays in Green Bay is if he takes a significant cut in his salary. His role was reduced this year and it’s expected that role would stay the same or be reduced even more if he continues with the Packers.

So maybe the Peppers ship has passed.

If he does depart, his intensity, leadership and integrity will be missed in Green Bay.

Considering what Ted Thompson has done in the past – or rather how he has surprised us in the past – bringing a talented player like Peppers back – a player who is long in the tooth and has had an incredible run – it’s probably most unlikely.

Next: Fixing the Packers' defense

We may yet see #56 on the Packers practice field come the spring … or maybe not.

If I were GM of the Packers, I would try to convince Peppers to re-sign a one- or two-year deal at a reduced rate.

In my mind an old Julius Peppers could be just as valuable as a Nick Perry in his prime … and at a bargain price? Peppers could be the right fit to finish his career in Green Bay.

Stay tuned on this one …

The following is a list of the 12 free agents-to-be in Green Bay:

PLAYER (12)

POS.

AGE

FROM

TO

2016 AAV

STATUS

MARKET VALUE

C

25

GB

TBD

$643,977

UFA

OLB

26

GB

TBD

$5,050,000

UFA

OLB

37

GB

TBD

$8,666,667

UFA

–

DE

25

GB

TBD

–

UFA

–

RB

26

GB

TBD

$725,000

UFA

–

G

29

GB

TBD

$5,200,000

UFA

RB

26

GB

TBD

$848,103

UFA

OLB

26

GB

TBD

$1,929,147

UFA

–

SS

26

GB

TBD

$584,527

UFA

–

LS

32

GB

TBD

$885,000

UFA

–

TE

29

GB

TBD

$2,750,000

UFA

RT

27

GB

TBD

$700,000

UFA