The 38-year-old played in 266 of a possible 272 regular season games, the sixth most games played by a defensive player in NFL history. He played in 176 consecutive games to close his career, the second-longest streak among active players at the close of the season behind Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Peppers was the oldest active defensive player in the league.

Peppers was a model of consistency with his disruptive, physically dominant style. He recorded at least seven sacks in all but two of his 17 seasons, including this past season when he finished with five. He had a sack in his final game, bringing down Teddy Bridgewater of the Saints to finish a half-sack behind Kevin Greene on the all-time list.

Sacks were the biggest way but not the only way that Peppers changed the course of games. Since his rookie year in 2002, Peppers' 21 fumble recoveries are the most in the NFL, his 51 forced fumbles are second most (Robert Mathis has 52), and his 82 passes defensed are the most among defensive linemen. He also blocked 13 kicks, second most since the statistic began being tracked in 2000. He recorded 897 career tackles based on coaches' film review.

Peppers made a big impact off the field, particularly in his final season. He is the Panthers' nominee for the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, which will be awarded on the eve of Super Bowl LIII. After Hurricane Florence tore through Peppers' home state early in the season, Peppers has been generous with his time and his money as an advocate for ongoing recovery efforts.

Following his senior season at UNC, Peppers won the Lombardi Award given to the best player on and off the field regardless of position, and the Chuck Bednarik Award given to the nation's best defensive player. He was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002 and finished fourth in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2010, going down as one of the best players never to win the award.