As the NFL celebrates its 100th season and the Panthers in turn celebrate 25 seasons of football, the league has taken the time to look back and honor the great players and teams of the past.
Each week, the league hosts a NFL 100 show recapping great teams, moments and players in NFL history on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network. They are now announcing the all-time best players at each different position.
On Monday night, the league announced that Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers and Kevin Greene were finalists for the all-time position groups at linebacker and defensive line.
Kuechly, Carolina's current linebacker, leads all NFL linebackers in tackles since 2012 and is fourth in career tackles (1,044) among all active players. A six-time Pro Bowler, he ranks third in Carolina history with 18 career interceptions, the most by a linebacker.
Peppers played 17 NFL seasons, including 10 with Carolina, before retiring in 2019. He finished fourth in NFL history with 159.5 sacks, including a franchise-record 97 sacks in Carolina. With 11 interceptions, he is the only player in NFL history to record both 150 sacks and 10 interceptions.
Greene was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. He played 15 seasons, including three with Carolina in 1996, 1998 and 1999. He was named the NFC Linebacker of the Year in 1996 after he set an NFL record with five multi-sack games and led the NFL in sacks. He finished his career ranked third in NFL history in sacks.
This Friday at 8 p.m. ET, NFL Network will announce the final teams for both positions.
