The Extra Point

Josh McCown and Julius Peppers will greet each other on the field at some point Sunday before their teams square off, knowing they’re part of an exclusive — and dwindling — NFL club.

The New York Jets quarterback and Carolina Panthers defensive end are two of only three active players who were selected in the 2002 draft. And, until Detroit signed defensive end Dwight Freeney on Wednesday, McCown and Peppers were the only two this week.

“It’s an honor to look around and be the last two guys still rolling and still alive with him and the kind of guy he is and the kind of player he is to be alongside him,” McCown said a few hours before the Lions announced Freeney’s signing. “I love that guy. He’s a great player, great teammate, and I look forward to competing against him on Sunday.”

Peppers went No. 2 overall to Carolina, while McCown was a third-round selection — No. 81 overall — by Arizona. Freeney, by the way, was the No. 11 overall pick by Indianapolis.

“It’s pretty cool,” McCown said. “We hopped on a bus 16 years ago out in L.A. at the (NFLPA) Rookie Premiere and I hopped on and sat next to Julius. I’ve known him ever since and then got a chance to be teammates with him in Carolina and in Chicago. He’s a heck of a dude and a great football player. It’s really cool.”

McCown and Peppers played together with the Panthers in 2008 and ’09, and were reunited in Chicago, where they were teammates from 2011-13.

McCown, 38, has thrown a career-best 14 TD passes. Peppers, 37, leads Carolina with 7½ sacks and ranks fourth all-time with 151.

JOSH MCCOWN