Peppers rejoins Panthers

Julius Peppers will be returning to the Carolina Panthers after seven years away from the team, according to his agent Carl Carey.

Peppers is the Panthers' franchise leader in sacks after he racked up 81 in eight seasons from 2002-2009.

He'll now join a defensive line that features Charles Johnson, Kawann Short, Mario Addison, and Wes Horton, who were all recently re-signed.

Peppers, who helped take the Panthers to the 2004 Super Bowl, left in 2009 to chase a title ring. After four years with the Chicago Bears, Peppers signed with the Green Bay Packers, where he spent the past three seasons and got as far as the conference title game on two occasions.

Now, the 37-year-old will try to help the Panthers return to the Super Bowl, after they reached the championship game in 2015. He's coming off a year in which he played in all 16 games and totaled 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Linebacker Thomas Davis posted on Instagram his excitement about the deal: