NFL

• Carolina's Peppers signs franchise tender

  
  

  Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers signed his franchise tender on Wednesday, ending any chance that the Pro Bowl end would hold out at the start of training camp.

  The second overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft has made four Pro Bowl appearances over his seven-year career with Carolina, but in the offseason had expressed his desire to play elsewhere.

  However, he signed the one-year tender which is expected to earn him $16.7 million for 2009.

  "I think that he has been an ideal teammate, an ideal player and he's been extremely valuable to us. There's no concern on this end," said Carolina general manager Marty Hurney.

  In 2008, the 29-year-old, who switched from left to right defensive end, recorded a career-high 14 1/2 sacks and 51 tackles. In 106 career games with the Panthers, the North Carolina product has compiled 70 1/2 sacks and 344 tackles.

  06/24 16:04:36 ET