Seventeen seasons in the NFL has earned 6'7, 295lb linebacker, Julius Peppers some rather big paydays in the NFL. It also didn't hurt being a 9x Pro Bowler and 3x First-Team All-Pro nominee to help him secure some of those large checks. Peppers played his collegiate football at the University of North Carolina from 1998-2001. While winning the Lombardi Award, Bill Willis Trophy, and Chuck Bednarik Award for his performance in football, Peppers also played on the school's basketball and even participated in the Final Four. Peppers ditched basketball in his final season and currently is ranked second all-time in career sacks at the institution.
After outperforming his peers in college, Julius Peppers was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by his home state Carolina Panthers where he played a total of ten seasons in two separate stints with the franchise. Out the gate, Peppers signed a seven-year, $46 million contract with the Panthers. Which proved to be beneficial for all parties involved after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002. In 2010, Peppers signed a six-year contract worth $84 million with the Chicago Bears. After four seasons in Chicago, Peppers signed a three-year $26 million contract with the Green Bay Packers. In 2017, Peppers returned to Carolina where he would play two more seasons before retiring in February 2019. With close to $80 million paid to him by the Panthers alone, Julius Peppers is still on the team's payroll in the business operations department.