The Julius Peppers-Panthers reunion may not have happened if not for defensive line coach Eric Washington.
A bond that began in 2010 when the two were together in Chicago helped spark Peppers’ interest in coming back to Carolina four years later. But Green Bay’s 3-4 defense and hard-to-turn-down contract offer delayed things three more seasons.
So now that Peppers is back with the team that drafted him, it’s worth noting fellow defensive end Charles Johnson wasn’t the only guy pushing for it to happen. Peppers may have turned 37 in January, but according to his former-turned-current coach, he’s aged like a fine wine.