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Free agent cornerback Marcus Peters visited with the Las Vegas Raiders on May 15 according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. On June 14, Tafur and The Athletic’s Tashan Reed honed in on the chances of Peters — who was drafted by and played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs — joining forces with the Raiders.
“Those guys may be competing for one starting job, as the Raiders seem likely to sign veteran cornerback Marcus Peters before training camp,” Tafur and Reid wrote. “Peters came in for a visit last month and, according to league and team sources, the two sides have stayed in touch as Peters tests the market. The Raiders have other veteran cornerbacks on their list, but Peters could very likely sign with the team that he grew up rooting for as a kid in Oakland.”
Peters, 30, was the 18th overall pick by the Chiefs in the 2015 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, he was named the AP’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, an All-Pro, and received a Pro Bowl nod after accumulating 53 tackles, 26 passes defended, 8 interceptions, and 2 pick-sixes in 16 regular season games played according to Pro Football Reference.
During his six seasons in the NFL, which has included stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens, Peters has been named an All-Pro three times and Pro Bowler three times. After missing the 2021 season due to a torn ACL during practice, Peters returned to action in 2022 and recorded 40 tackles, 16 stops, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception in 13 regular season games played for the Ravens per PFF.
Marcus Peters a Plug-And-Play Starter for Raiders
Outside of Nate Hobbs, the Raiders don’t have any cornerbacks on the roster that are locked in as a starter heading into next season. Because of that, adding a player like Marcus Peters, who could be dropped into Las Vegas’ starting lineup and be serviceable in the short term, makes sense for Kansas City’s division rival.
But Las Vegas needs to free up some cap space first.
According to Over The Cap’s effective cap space (the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster), the Raiders are $1.73 million over the cap.
Twitter Reacts to Marcus Peters Update
Twitter users reacted to the update on Marcus Peters and the Raiders.
“If we just casually have Peters, Hobbs, Shelley, and then Jakorian Bennet as a crutch for if Shelley isn’t good? I’m pretty f**king cool with that to be honest,” one Twitter user wrote. “Say what you will but if Hobbs is moved back to playing Nickel, I’m not scared about our secondary. Also our safeties!”
@nflrums If we just casually have Peters, Hobbs, Shelley, and then Jakorian Bennet as a crutch for if Shelley isn’t good? I’m pretty fucking cool with that to be honest. Say what you will but if Hobbs is moved back to playing Nickel, I’m not scared about our secondary. Also our safeties!
“The word going around, according to Vic Tafur, that the #Raiders are likely to sign free agent Marcus Peters. If this is true, this would be a huge win for the Raiders,” another user wrote. “The #Raiders need key players on defense, and adding Peters would make the defense that much better.”
“Of course people are complaining about Marcus Peters. Lmao the Raiders have zero talent there, he is instantly the best (proven) CB on the roster,” another user wrote. “We have yet to see how Hobbs bounces back. Or if Shelley pans out in this scheme. Remember when washed (Casey) Hayward ended up contributing?”
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Ex-Chiefs All-Pro ‘Very Likely’ to Join Division Rival Raiders: Report