KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs offseason retooling found another gear with the club agreeing to send cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams.
The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the trade’s completion. Per NFL rules, however, offseason trades cannot be finalized until March 14.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters returns an interception during the team’s 30-13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 16, 2017. (Photo courtesy Chiefs PR, Chiefs.com)
Peters found many accolades during his three seasons in Kansas City. He earned All-Pro honors during his first two seasons, as well as earning the defensive rookie of the year award from the Associated Press in 2015. The NFL Network ranked Peters as the No. 32 player in the league in 2017. His 19 regular-season interceptions rank tied for the sixth-most during a player’s first three seasons in the league during the Super Bowl era.
But he also found plenty of controversy. Peters earned a one-game suspension from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid last season. That followed an incident against the New York Jets when Peters picked up an official’s flag and threw it in the stands before walking off the field. He drew three penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct this past season. During the game at Houston, teammates appeared to hold back an emotional Peters on the sideline from confronting a coach.
Peters’ decision to not standing during the national anthem, however, drew the most controversy. Team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt expressed his desire that all the team’s players stand for the national anthem, and said he spoke with Peters about the issue. Later in the season Peters remained in the tunnel leading to the field from the locker room and did not appear on the field during the national anthem.
The Chiefs held control of Peters for at least the next two seasons under his rookie contract. He was scheduled to make $1.74 million in 2018 with a cap hit of $3.04 million. The team had until May 3 to pick up a fifth-year option for 2019 for around $9 million.
The trade of Peters along with the pending deal to send quarterback Alex Smith to Washington in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick in this year’s draft marks a dramatic overhaul for the Chiefs on both sides of the football. It also replenishes a draft pick inventory depleted by the trade during the 2017 draft to acquire quarterback Patrick Mahomes along with deals for linebacker Reggie Ragland and offensive lineman Cameron Erving.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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