The NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame officially announced the 2010s All-Decade team on Monday.
Former Panther legends Julius Peppers and Luke Kuechly were listed at defensive end and linebacker on the team which featured 55 of the greatest players and coaches of the last decade.
The 55-member team is the result of votes cast over the last several weeks by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 48-member selection committee. Only players who received at least one selection to a Pro Bowl, Associated Press All-Pro team or Pro Football Writers Association all-conference team during the 2010-19 seasons were eligible.
A native North Carolinian, Peppers finished his 17-year career as a Panther after the 2018 season, retiring as the franchise leader in sacks (97.0), forced fumbles (34) and blocked field goals (8). Peppers still ranks fourth in NFL history with 159.5 career sacks, the most by any player since 2000. Peppers retired as the only player in NFL history with at least 150 sacks and 10 or more interceptions.
After playing for Carolina from 2002-2009, Peppers spent much of the 2010s elsewhere, playing for Chicago from 2010-13 and Green Bay from 2014-16. He came back to Carolina in 2017 where he played two seasons and tallied 16.0 total sacks.
Peppers earned four Pro Bowl appearances in the decade and two All-Pro nods. He was also selected to the 2000s All-Decade Team, joining Tom Brady, Shane Lechler, Devin Hester and Bill Belichick as back-to-back all-decade selections in the 2000s and 2010s.
Kuechly announced his retirement after the 2019 season after playing all of his eight pro seasons in Carolina. Kuechly's 1,092 total tackles were the most by any player of the decade of the 2010s. He also made 18 career interceptions, the most by any linebacker over the last decade.
Kuechly owns franchise records for the most Pro Bowl selections (7) and AP All-Pro First Team selections (5). He earned AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and AP Defensive Player of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons in 2012-13.
He tied the NFL single-game record for tackles in 2013 (24) and still holds the Panthers single-season record for tackles (164) set in 2012, which led the NFL.
