Julius Peppers

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson has been trying to bolster the team's front seven for a long, long time.

Since 2007, Thompson has drafted four first-round defensive linemen, two second-round defensive linemen and two first-round linebackers. After all of that talent reinforcement, the 2013 Packers still had the 25th-best (eighth-worst) scoring defense in the NFL.

Apparently, enough is enough.

Thompson went out and signed eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, per ESPN.com's Josina Anderson, to a three-year deal worth up to $30 million. Recently released by the Chicago Bears, Peppers finally gives defensive coordinator Dom Capers a big, fast, powerful option.

Now, there are no more excuses.

If You're Not Getting Better, You're Getting Worse

The end of the Packers' season was one of the best stories of the 2013 season.

Despite losing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers for seven games down the stretch, the Packers managed to stay in the race. With a winner-take-all game in Week 17 at Soldier Field, Rodgers didn't just return—he threw a dramatic fourth-down, playoff-clinching touchdown pass in the game's dying seconds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc3_QB8vGjw

The Packers won the NFC North title, and for a moment all was right again in Green Bay.

Then, Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers came to a frozen Lambeau Field in the first round of the playoffs and left victorious. When the 49ers couldn't handle the Seattle Seahawks the following week, it became clear the Packers weren't anywhere near the top of the NFC pecking order.

The 49ers are loaded with draft picks, other contenders like the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints are aggressively making free-agent moves, and the Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings are all spending money to get better, too. If the Packers simply stood pat, they'd be falling even further behind.

Anywhere He Wants

Where does a 6'6", 287-pound pass-rusher with stunning power and speed line up in a 3-4 defense?

Anywhere he wants.

The Packers have re-signed B.J. Raji, Johnny Jolly and Mike Neal, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Together with Mike Daniels and 2013 first-round pick Datone Jones, Peppers gives Capers the ability to shuffle linemen around in many different combinations and rotate them to keep them fresh for four quarters.

As Demovsky wrote, the Packers have been trying to use an "elephant" defensive end for over a season. Neal and linebacker Nick Perry are the kind of linebacker/defensive end "tweeners" who are perfectly suited to play the 7-technique pass-rusher.

It's possible that Peppers could play this role, too, but it's more likely that he plays end, while Neal and Perry rotate between "elephant" and outside linebacker. When stopping the run, Raji could man the middle while Daniels and Peppers play end.

The possibilities are endless and exciting:

No More Excuses

In 2009, Capers came to Green Bay and whipped the Packers defense into shape, transforming it from a bottom-feeder to a top-10 scoring unit in both 2009 and 2010. It was the No. 2 defense in 2010, per Pro- Football-Reference.com, powering Green Bay's run to the Super Bowl championship.

The Packers defense hasn't been in the top 10 since. Finishing 25th in 2013 is simply not good enough.

With Peppers, there's no reason why the Packers shouldn't be able to dominate the line of scrimmage against the run and the pass. Though they still have to find a solution at safety, they have far too much talent to finish in the bottom third of NFL defenses.

Assuming Rodgers stays healthy this season, and Eddie Lacy and the running game continue to balance the Packers' perennial high-scoring pass offense, it's all on Capers and the defense to step up.

If they do, the Packers will again be strong contenders for not just the NFC North Championship but also the NFC Championship.

If not, there should be serious questions asked of Capers...and Thompson.

Desperate to add playmakers to a defense that had so few in 2013, the Green Bay Packers went the unconventional route and added a former division nemesis. 

According to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the Packers and former Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers agreed to a three-year deal worth $30 million total, with $7.5 million guaranteed. 

The Bears released Peppers, who was due to count more than $18 million against Chicago's cap next season, on Tuesday, just hours after agreeing to a deal with defensive end Lamarr Houston. Four days later, Peppers agreed to head north to help the Packers regain their edge on defense. 

The 34-year-old Peppers is arguably the biggest free-agent signing from general manager Ted Thompson since Charles Woodson back in 2006. Generally absent from the proceedings, Thompson made the most unusual of free-agent splashes, signing an older, expensive player during the first week. 

Peppers led the struggling Bears defense in sacks with seven last season. He has 118.5 sacks in his career, third most among active players and 17th most all-time.  

The Packers will hope a location change can spark a late-career resurgence from one of the generation's most unique athletes. 

A 6'7" defensive end with basketball athleticism, Peppers has been a dominant 4-3 DE in the NFL for the better part of his 13 seasons. He has eight years with 10 or more sacks, plus career totals of 59 passes defensed, nine interceptions and 39 forced fumbles. 

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers will love his potential versatility. 

While Peppers has never played in a 3-4 defense, he has the length to play at defensive end and the athleticism to occasionally stand up and rush the quarterback as an outside linebacker. He could also slide inside and become a difficult matchup when the Packers go to the nickel or dime subpackages. 

Good defensive coordinators find a way to get good football players on the field, which means Peppers should have plenty of opportunities to help a defense that struggled in 2013.

The Packers finished last season ranked 24th in points allowed and 25th in total yards allowed. While the defense's 44 sacks tied with the Seattle Seahawks for eighth overall, Green Bay had the fewest total quarterback hits and the fourth worst team pass-rushing grade at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

Without Clay Matthews for long stretches, the Packers defense simply lacked the difference-makers necessary to play good defense in today's NFL. Adding Peppers, who hasn't missed a game in the last six seasons, will help ease his burden. 

Maybe a switch in scheme will re-motivate the sometimes lackadaisical Peppers. 

	Total	Career Rank
Tackles	45	6th
Sacks	7.0	2nd Fewest
Batted Passes	3	2nd Fewest
QB Hits	6*	2nd Fewest
QB Hurries	27*	Fewest
Stops	26	Fewest

His seven sacks in 2013 were his fewest since 2007, and he played nearly 900 snaps for a defense that allowed the most rushing yards and yards per carry in the NFL last season. Peppers wasn't all to blame, but he did finish 2013 with his worst overall grade at PFF since the site starting grading in 2008, and he's been trending down every season since 2011. 

His motor appeared to run hot and cold last season.

Yet Peppers was dominant at times, including both games against the Packers. 

At Lambeau Field in October, on a night when the Packers would lose Aaron Rodgers, Peppers intercepted a pass, batted down two others and registered his second sack of the season. In the finale, a game Green Bay would win to claim the NFC North title, Peppers had a strip sack and nearly ended the game when he came off the left side free on Rodgers' game-winning touchdown to Randall Cobb. Fullback John Kuhn got just enough Peppers to allow Rodgers to escape the pocket and deliver the fatal throw. 

The goal for Capers and defensive line coach Mike Trgovac, who coached Peppers in Carolina from 2002 to 2008, will be to keep the flow of disruption consistent. 

Peppers had just six games with more than two quarterback disruptions last season. He was a ghost early on, with just one sack and three games without even one tackle through the first six weeks. 

Yet if the Packers can get Peppers to be as good week-in and week-out as he was in the pair of meetings between the two last season, Green Bay will have a true difference-maker on its hands. 

The contract terms make it a worthwhile gamble. 

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Peppers' three-year deal is structured to be more like a one-year experiment, with a first-year salary of $8.5 million but a 2014 cap hit of around $3.5 million. If Peppers continues to regress next season, the Packers can likely cut ties without too much cap penalty in 2015 or 2016. 

The Packers rarely sign off on this kind of splash in free agency, making the arrival of a 34-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler big news in Green Bay. And by all accounts, Thompson's biggest move since signing Woodson eight years ago has the potential to provide the same kind of instant impact. 

Peppers is aging and in decline, but the 3-4 front could be a good fit for his skills, and the money is manageable for Green Bay. This looks like a strong deal for a defense that needed the help. 

Grade: B+

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2

Updates from Monday, Mar. 17

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has the latest on Julius Peppers' deal with the Packers:

The three-year deal free agent DE Julius Peppers signed with the Packers Sunday is worth $27 million and features $7.5 million in guarantees.

According to a source with access to NFLPA salary data, Peppers will make $8.5 million total in 2014, but because $7.5 million of it is guaranteed - and for cap purposes pro-rated over the three years of the deal - the first-year cap number is only $3.5 million.

If the Packers hang onto Peppers in 2015, his cap number jumps to $12 million. It is $10.5 million in 2016.

Original Text

Veteran defensive end Julius Peppers has agreed to a three-year contract with the Green Bay Packers, according to ESPN.com's Josina Anderson:

Anderson later added the details of the contract:

Peppers' agent, Carl Carey, tweeted out a photo of the defensive end signing his deal in Green Bay:

The 34-year-old was released by the Chicago Bears on Tuesday in an effort to free up cap space after the team signed free-agent defensive end Lamarr Houston. Peppers was scheduled to earn $13.9 million in base salary in 2014 and would have counted around $18 million toward the Bears' cap, per Spotrac.

In a statement released Tuesday, Bears general manager Phil Emery thanked Peppers for his four seasons in Chicago and commended his leadership, per ChicagoBears.com's Larry Mayer:

We appreciate Julius’ contributions to the Bears over the last four years. He was a leader on our defense starting every game since coming to Chicago. His accomplishments over his NFL career place him among the best defensive ends over the past 20 years. The Chicagoland community has benefited greatly from his quiet generosity. We wish him the best.

A former second overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2002, Peppers has played in 186 regular-season games over 12 seasons. 

Although age is a concern, Peppers hasn't missed a game since 2007 and has started every one since 2010. In addition to his durability, he boasts a mammoth frame (6'6", 283 lbs), that, when coupled with his athleticism, makes for a matchup nightmare for any offensive lineman. 

Peppers was relatively quiet in 2013, recording just 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception, but his presence helped the Bears in ways that don't always show up in the stat sheet. 

In a new environment with a team that clearly wants him in 2014, Peppers will have an excellent shot to record double-digit sacks for the ninth season. With 118.5 career sacks, Peppers ranks 17th on the all-time list and third among active players. Therefore, it's quite possible the former North Carolina Tar Heel could finish his career ranked among the top-10 sack leaders of all time. 

Green Bay is without a doubt better off following this signing. The Packers are acquiring a leader on the field and a durable playmaker who can anchor a defense.

While Peppers is on the backside of his career, he still makes an impact and won't be short on motivation following his release from Chicago. Not to mention he's still chasing the elusive Super Bowl title. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

Things were quiet in Green Bay on the opening day of free agency in the NFL. But that was to be expected. How many people out there really thought that Ted Thompson would be active on the first day?

I'm still looking to see a hand raised in the air from anyone. That's just not Thompson's modus operandi.

In 2006, the year Thompson was most active in free agency, he signed all of his free agents in the later stages of the process. The two big signings were defensive lineman Ryan Pickett and defensive back Charles Woodson.

Woodson was signed after he was released by the Oakland Raiders. The signing of Woodson has to be the second-biggest free-agent signing in Green Bay history, only behind the signing of Reggie White in 1993.

When Woodson was a member of the Raiders for the first time, he was having a decent career. But after he came to Green Bay, his career turned out to be brilliant.

In seven years as a Packer, Woodson went to four Pro Bowls, was the NFL 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, had 38 interceptions (nine for touchdowns), had 11.5 sacks, forced 15 fumbles and recovered six (one for a touchdown).

In addition to that, both Woodson and Pickett played key roles in the Packers winning Super Bowl XLV.

Woodson proved that being released in free agency doesn't mean the end of a NFL career. It also proved that signing with the right team can get you a Super Bowl ring.

There were a couple of players who were released yesterday by their respective teams who should definitely interest the Packers.

One would be defensive end Julius Peppers, formerly of the Chicago Bears, and also defensive end/outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys.

I wrote a story on Tuesday about the possibility of Peppers becoming a member of the Packers.

Peppers is on the north side of 30, as he's 34, but he still put up decent numbers with the Bears in 2013.

Last year Peppers had 46 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one interception (against the Packers), forced two fumbles and a had a fumble recovery (for a touchdown).

For his career, Peppers has 563 tackles, 119 sacks, nine interceptions (two for touchdowns), 64 passes defended, a whopping 40 forced fumbles and 14 fumble recoveries (two for touchdowns).

Peppers never played in a Super Bowl as a member of the Bears, but he did come close in 2010, as the Bears were defeated by the Packers in the NFC Championship game that year.

Peppers did play in Super Bowl XXXVIII with Carolina, but the Panthers lost that game to the New England Patriots.

Peppers knows all about the Packers-Bears rivalry. He saw it first-hand for four seasons. He also knows that the Packers were the class of the NFC North during that time, as Green Bay won a Super Bowl, as well as three straight NFC North titles.

Peppers has prototypical size for a 3-4 defensive end, as he goes 6'6", 283 pounds.

The biggest connection that the Packers have that might sway Peppers to sign with the team is defensive line coach Mike Trgovac. Trgovac was the defensive line coach for Peppers his rookie year with the Carolina Panthers in 2002, and then Trgovac was his defensive coordinator from 2003 to 2008.

Because of his age, and if they were to get him to come to Green Bay, the Packers would more than likely sign Peppers to a short-term contract.

There still hasn't been a lot of noise about what teams might be interested in Peppers, plus the Packers have not scheduled any visits with any free agents as of yet, according to a story by Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin.

When Ware was released, however, there was much more of a frenzy. In fact, NFL.com's Chris Wesseling writes that the Denver Broncos are the favorite to sign Ware at this point. In his report, Wesseling also said that NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport had reported six playoff teams were pursuing Ware.

The Packers were in the playoffs last year, just in case you forgot.

But will Denver be able to pull the trigger and sign Ware? I ask that question because the Broncos were very active on day one of free agency in terms of spending, as the team signed both safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib to new contracts.

Talib's contract was a six-year deal worth $57 million, according to Wesseling, which was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Because the Broncos have the first shot at Ware and so many teams are interested, it is doubtful that the Packers will get into a bidding war, at least based on Thompson's track record running the front office of the Packers.

Still, if Ware leaves Denver without a deal, the Packers should be trying to get No. 94 to Green Bay as quickly as possible.

The same holds true with Peppers.

Both players have had fabulous careers in the NFL. Perhaps even Pro Football Hall of Fame careers. But neither player has a Super Bowl ring.

Yes, the Broncos played in the most recent Super Bowl, and they were beaten badly, but it looks as though John Elway and company are doing everything they can via free agency in terms of getting to the next one as well.

That might include the signing of Ware.

But it might not.

Ware had his best success in Dallas as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Last year as a 4-3 defensive end, his statistics were down compared to his production earlier in his career. In 2013, Ware only had 40 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

For his career though in Big D, Ware had 577 tackles, 117 sacks, two interceptions (one for a touchdown), 32 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries (two for touchdowns).

Ware has never played in a Super Bowl. In fact, he has only played in four postseason games in his career as a Cowboy.

Bottom line, Thompson and the Packers should be ready to strike quickly if a deal isn't done in Denver with Ware.

Likewise, they should already be making plans to visit with players like Peppers as well.

The Packers have plenty of money to spend. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the team is $29 million and change under the cap presently.

That was after the re-signing of cornerback Sam Shields.

Yes, I know the Packers are hoping to re-sign a number of their own free agents this year, and they need to allocate funds for both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, who will be free agents next year.

But sometimes you have to bring in some talented veteran help via free agency. It worked for Thompson and the Packers in 2006 when they signed Pickett and Woodson.

Time will tell if that will happen again in 2014.

After four up-and-down seasons with the Chicago Bears, defensive end Julius Peppers is a monster of the Midway no more.

The Bears confirmed Peppers' release on the team's Twitter account Tuesday:

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune broke down the Bears' cap savings after the move:

NFL Network's Albert Breer added further details:

The move doesn't come as a huge shock considering the salary-cap issues that arose in relation to Peppers' mammoth contract. The Bears signed Peppers to a six-year, $91.5 million deal in 2010, but he simply failed to live up to the lofty expectations that come with such a large financial commitment.

ESPN's Adam Schefter initially reported the day before the start of free agency that the Bears were exploring multiple options in an effort to get Peppers' salary off the books:

The move certainly leaves the Bears with a hole at defensive end, but it isn't as though Peppers was setting the world on fire with his play as of late.

Peppers managed an impressive 30.5 sacks in his first three seasons with the Bears, which ultimately led to three Pro Bowl nods as well. Additionally, Peppers immediately made Chicago a better team upon arrival, as evidenced by this stat courtesy of CBS 2 Chicago's Zach Zaidman:

At the same time, Peppers never looked as dominant in Chicago as he was over eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and his play in 2013 was downright ordinary. He did muster 7.5 sacks, which looks respectable on the surface; however, Peppers was largely a non-factor throughout the season.

According to CSNNE.com's Michael Girardi, Peppers touched opposing quarterbacks a mere 13 times in 2013 (per Pro Football Focus):

Based on the amount of money that the Bears shelled out in order to get him, such infrequent pressure was simply unacceptable.

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time regarding Peppers' status with the Bears. Although general manager Phil Emery refused to comment on Peppers' future in Chicago, he certainly didn't offer a ringing endorsement either when asked about the situation in February, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com:

That would be a contract question, and I think I have had a very demonstrated history of not answering those questions. I will say that Julius is part of our football team. He is under contract. We're all coming off an 8-8 season. We have a lot to improve upon and that is where our heads are at.

Apparently Emery and the rest of the organization felt as though getting rid of Peppers was a necessary step in terms of making improvements elsewhere. Losing Peppers doesn't make the Bears a better team in a vacuum, but they have the opportunity to get better now that they aren't hamstrung by his contract.

The benefits are obvious for Chicago, but Peppers is still capable of being a productive player in the right system. He is 34 years old, so his best seasons are realistically behind him, but that doesn't mean he has to ride off into the sunset.

Peppers had 11.5 sacks in 2012 and he is still freakishly athletic, even if he has lost a step or two in recent years. The Bears counted on him to be an elite pass-rusher, and he came up short in that regard, but he could potentially shine in a supporting role without the pressure of a massive contract bogging him down.

In some ways, this may be the best thing that could have happened to Peppers. He had his moments in Chicago, but things ultimately didn't work out, and a change of scenery was in order.

Bears fans may lament the fact that their team cut bait on Peppers if he is productive this season and beyond. However, it was a move that needed to be made for the sake of all parties involved.

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Things are starting to get crazy as we are now just a few hours away from the start of free agency in the NFL.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday (h/t NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal), that the Chicago Bears are looking to trade veteran defensive end Julius Peppers.

If a trade can't be worked out, Peppers would just be released. The reason? Peppers currently has a $13.9 million salary and $20 million cap number.

According to Rapoport, (h/t NFL.com's Chris Wesseling), the Bears are interested in signing free agent defensive end Lamarr Houston of the Oakland Raiders to replace Peppers.

Rapoport had also claimed the Green Bay Packers were interested in Houston, while The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson reported defensive end Arthur Jones of the Baltimore Ravens was drawing the Packers' interest as well.

So, what if the Bears release Peppers and sign Houston as his replacement? And what if the Indianapolis Colts sign Jones, which is being predicted by Wilson's sources?

Where would that leave the Packers in their search for an athletic defensive end? And where would that leave Peppers, who just turned 34 in January?

Could they end up together?

That could be a possibility. Yes, Peppers is 34, but if the Packers could sign the former North Carolina star to a one- or two-year contract at a reasonable cost, maybe it could happen.

Peppers has had a great career in the NFL, as he has 119 career sacks, including 7.5 in 2013. Peppers has also forced a whopping 40 fumbles in his career, including two last year.

In addition to that, Peppers has the perfect size for a 3-4 defensive end, as he goes 6'6", 283 pounds.

The ace in the hole the Packers have is their defensive line coach, Mike Trgovac, who was Peppers' defensive line coach in 2002 and defensive coordinator from 2003-08 when Peppers was with the Carolina Panthers.

Trgovac knows Peppers as well as anyone in the NFL from a coaching standpoint, and he obviously has great respect for Peppers.

Per this 2011 article by Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago, Trgovac commented on the rumor that his former pupil takes plays off: 

He had it [the reputation] coming out of college. I always attribute it to [the fact] he's so smooth and natural. I was his position coach his rookie year, and he was rookie of the year by the way, and he only played 12 games. I did every [college] game on him because we had just been hired there in Carolina and Houston already said they were going to take quarterback David Carr, so we had to choose between Julius and Joey Harrington.

People always talked about him taking plays off and doing this, but he's just so smooth and natural that he does things so easy that people think he's being lazy. But Julius plays hard. That reputation has always followed him, and maybe will always follow him for his whole career. I don't know, I hope not, because he is a really good guy. He commands a lot of attention. What was really impressive for us [in Carolina] was his work ethic in practice. He busts his butt in practice and I don't think the kid ever got enough credit for that.

Bottom line, if the Bears do indeed release Peppers and the 38 sacks he gave them in four years, the Packers would seem to be a possible landing spot for No. 90.

Updates from Tuesday, Mar. 11

The Chicago Bears have officially parted ways with defensive end Julius Peppers:

Original Text

In a last-ditch effort before likely cutting ties, the Chicago Bears are seeing if there is any trade interest in Julius Peppers around the league.     

The newest rumor comes from ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Peppers, 34, is a generational talent and a Hall of Fame-caliber player. He has tallied 119 sacks, 39 forced fumbles and 558 combined tackles in his 12-year career. 

During his prime, he was one of the most dangerous players in the league, forcing teams to alter their game plans to account for him. But he's not in his prime anymore. 

In 16 games with the Bears last season, Peppers tallied 7.5 sacks, his lowest mark since 2007. Moreover, Pro Football Focus graded him negatively, and as CSN's Michael Giardi pointed out, he got to the quarterback less than one time per game:

Peppers can still play a valuable role as a pass-rusher, but it's hard to find a roster spot for him when he has a base salary of $13.9 million and a cap hit of over $18 million in 2014, per Spotrac.com. 

ESPN's Michael C. Wright speculated on the situation:

CBS Chicago's Adam Hoge put it bluntly:

When asked about Peppers' situation in late February, general manager Phil Emery was noncommittal, via ESPN's Wright:

That would be a contract question, and I think I have had a very demonstrated history of not answering those questions. I will say that Julius is part of our football team. He is under contract. We’re all coming off an 8-8 season. We have a lot to improve upon and that is where our heads are at.

Should no team come forward in the trade market, Peppers will likely be released. The Bears gave up 394.6 yards per game last season and could use help all over the defensive side of the ball. 

Ridding themselves of Peppers' contract—no matter how it happens—will free up a lot of cap space to help do just that. 

There's a very good chance the Chicago Bears' best player at an already lacking position will either need to accept a significant pay cut in 2014 or risk receiving his walking papers. 

Defensive end Julius Peppers, who turned 34 years old last month, is scheduled to count almost $18.2 million against the Bears' salary cap in 2014. His ridiculous cap number, when combined with age and declining production, make it improbable that Chicago will go through this offseason without either restructuring Peppers' deal or flat-out releasing him. 

However, the Bears have more to consider here than just money. 

The Chicago defense is coming off one of its worst seasons in franchise history, a year that included new team records for points and yards allowed.

Overall, the Bears gave up the third most points and yards in the NFL, while also ranking dead last in rushing yards allowed and yards per carry. Chicago became just the fourth team since 1978 to give up 20 or more points in all 16 regular-season games. 

Peppers was obviously a part of that historically bad defense, and his early-season struggles led to new individual three-year lows in sacks (7.5) and total pressures (40). Through seven games, the veteran had just one sack and eight tackles, with three contests in which he didn't record a single statistic. 

Yet releasing Peppers now would leave the Bears dangerously thin on both talent and depth at defensive end. 

Behind him, Chicago has the following players at defensive end: Shea McClellin, Corey Wootton, Cornelius Washington, David Bass and Cheta Ozougwu.

RDE	Sacks in 2013	LDE	Sacks in 2013
J. Peppers	7.5	C. Wootton	3.5
D. Bass	1.0	S. McClellin	4.0
C. Ozougwu	1.0	C. Washington	0.0

McClellin, a former first-round pick, has struggled to establish himself as a 4-3 defensive end. He's tallied just 6.5 sacks over 28 games and 10 starts, and a move to linebacker could be in his future.

Wootton, 26, is an impending free agent who is coming off hip surgery. 

Washington, a sixth-round pick in 2013, played in just two games last season. Bass and Ozougwu combined for two sacks in 19 games. 

This is a position lacking both impact players in the present and projected assets to the future. Last season, Peppers was the only member of the defensive line—after Henry Melton went down with an ACL injury—who forced opposing offenses to adjust game plans. At times, he could still wreck havoc from right or left defensive end. 

Still, the Bears received just 21 sacks from the defensive line in 2013. 

Take away Peppers and his team-high 7.5 sacks from that group, and defensive end becomes an even more urgent need for the Bears this offseason. Chicago would be forced to acquire one or even two players—through the draft or free agency—who could play right away. 

Keeping Peppers would take some financial finagling.

The Bears would seem unlikely to ask Peppers to simply restructure his deal. He'll need to take a significant pay cut—which contrasts from simply moving money around in a restructure—to remain in Chicago through 2014. Transferring money to next year, which Chicago could do by converting base salary in signing bonus, would only complicate cap matters in 2015.

Peppers should have incentive to take a cut. He'll know that no NFL team—if he is eventually cut by the Bears—will be willing to pay him anything near $18 million next season. Instead of testing the market, where aging defensive ends haven't fared well in recent years, Peppers might make more in 2014 by finding a middle ground with the Bears to stay in Chicago. 

	Player	Team	Cap Hit
1.	Mario Williams	BUF	$18.8M
2.	Julius Peppers	CHI	$18.2M
3.	Charles Johnson	CAR	$16.4M
4.	DeMarcus Ware	DAL	$16.0M
5.	Chris Lonh	STL	$14.9M

Then again, veteran NFL stars can be a prickly bunch, and there's a possibility that Peppers could scoff at the idea of hacking away at his next season's earnings. If that's the case, the Bears will have little other choice than to release the 34-year-old defensive end. 

A straight-up cut does have monetary advantages. 

While releasing Peppers at any time before June 1 would cost the Bears almost $8.4 million in dead money next season, it would also free up nearly $10 million in cap space in 2014 and more than $17 million in 2015. 

Another option would be using the June 1 designation on Peppers, which splits the dead money cost over two seasons. In that scenario, the Bears would save roughly $14 million in 2014 and $16 million in 2015. The dead money costs would be $4.18 million in each season.

The overall savings could eventually be very important in locking up new deals for Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. 

Cutting Peppers might simply be another step in general manager Phil Emery's re-haul of the defense. He was unafraid to wave goodbye to Brian Urlacher last offseason. And keep in mind, Peppers was signed to his mega deal before Emery came on board.

At 34 years old, and with a skill set that is regressing, Peppers probably isn't going to factor heavily into any defensive revival in Chicago. 

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Peppers finished 2013 with his worst overall grade since signing with the Bears in 2010. He finished as the 36th ranked defensive end among 52 qualifying players. 

He was still the Bears best pass-rushing defensive lineman last season, but that was mostly by default. His career arc is clearly trending down, like most at age 34. 

Parting ways with Peppers will leave the Bears even more desperate for defensive end help, but there's simply no smart way to keep the veteran on the roster for more than $18 million. In a best case scenario, Peppers would take a massive pay cut and help ease the Bears into the next defensive era. 

Discussions of this sort rarely go that smoothly. Peppers' future in Chicago is very much in question. 

Salary cap information courtesy of OverTheCap.com.