GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The news that Julius Peppers plans to play a 16th season is neither surprising nor a stretch.

If anyone can continue to produce at age 37, it’s the man who ranks No. 5 on the NFL's career sack list.

Longevity, durability and reliability have been his calling cards.

And it will be his legacy.

With the help of his agent and long-time confidant Carl Carey, who told ESPN that his longtime client will return in 2017, Peppers plans to use his remarkable career as a lesson for younger players.

"Julius has had an exemplary career, and to be headed into his 16th NFL season is incredible and requires a certain professional acumen," Carey said. "My hope is that he will share with other NFL players what it takes to have longevity in this profession."

In that regard, Carey has started a program called Pro Athlete Life, a consulting service to help professional athletes both extend their careers and prepare for life after them.

What better example for Carey to use than Peppers. The two have known each other since their days at the University of North Carolina, where Carey served as an academic advisor while Peppers played football and basketball for the Tar Heels. Together, they’ve forged a 15-year partnership in which Peppers has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

"We want to work with players and their agents and their teams to facilitate helping these guys transition and make good decisions throughout their career that will lead them to have the kind of longevity that Julius has had," Carey said.

Peppers has missed only two games during that time because of injury (the other four games he missed were because of a suspension during his rookie season of 2002). In all, Peppers has played in 234 of a possible 240 regular-season games on the way to collecting 143.5 sacks. The other four players ahead of him on the career sack list all are in the Hall of Fame.

"I joke with him sometimes that he’s a man of steel, and he can’t be injured," Carey said during a 2015 interview with ESPN about Peppers' longevity. "He assures me that it’s really his experience that helps him avoid injury."

Last season, Green bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers began to limit Peppers' snaps, especially early in the season. Late in the year, they held him out of practice on most Wednesdays. Peppers didn’t think it was necessary, but went along with the plan.

Peppers recorded 7.5 sacks -- second on the team -- in a reduced role. He would hit the free-agent market this week if the Packers don’t re-sign him.

"He can play," McCarthy said last week at the combine. "He can still play. But I think that’s something that we can probably talk about a little more down the road."