Getty Ex-Bears LT Jason Peters blocks Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals.
After starting his career as a tight end with the Buffalo Bills nearly two decades ago, Jason Peters could be ready for one more stop in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys held a visit with the 40-year-old tackle this week, giving Peters the chance to play for a team close to two hours from where he grew up in Texas. If he should land a contract, Peters would be the second-oldest player in the league behind only Tom Brady.
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Cowboys Host Peters
As The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported, Peters was scheduled to visit the Cowboys on September 1. It was not clear yet whether the Cowboys had any intention to sign Peters, but the report noted that there could be a good place for him in Dallas after Tyron Smith suffered a torn left hamstring on August 24. Rookie Tyler Smith is seen as a potential option to fill-in, but Peters may be the better fit, The Athletic’s report noted.
“Tyler Smith has been getting work at left tackle this week, his position of the future, but Dallas is probably better off with him playing left guard his rookie season rather than seeing minutes at left tackle immediately,” the report noted. “He worked at left guard all training camp before Tyron Smith went down.”
Peters started 15 games with the Chicago Bears last season and went into this offseason with a plan to wait until after training camps to see what teams could use a left tackle, the report added.
If it wasn’t for CHI QBs running into pressure, Jason Peters might’ve goose-egged Trey Hendrickson in Week 2. Very impressed with how Peters has maintained his skill even while aging. His patented jump set is still nasty. #Cowboys
Peters has made it clear that he’s not ready to end his NFL career just yet. In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, the 40-year-old said he was just looking for the right fit for the upcoming season.
“I just let my agent talk to those teams and he’ll hit me and let me know who’s interested and who’s not,” Peters said. “Looking for an upcoming offensive line, good team — or a playoff team. Either/or is good for me, because I can pass my torch on to some guys who are trying to get better, the younger guys, the new generation. Or if I get on a team with some vets, they already know how I rock, and we can just go into the playoffs and make a run and try to win another ring.”
Bills Missed Out on Peters
Watching Peters put together a Hall of Fame career has likely been difficult for many Bills fans. He joined the team as an undrafted free agent tight end in 2004, with the Bills converting him first to right tackle and eventually to left tackle.
Though Peters put together back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Bills, his relationship with the team soured over a contract dispute. As ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio noted, the Bills fined Peters $600,000 for missing mandatory minicamp and all of training camp in 2008. Peters returned to the team a day before the season opener, but was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a first-round pick.
The split wasn’t all negative for the Bills. Though they were forced to watch Peters become an All-Pro with the Eagles, they used the draft pick from his trade to take center Eric Wood, who became a cornerstone of the team that broke a 17-year playoff drought in 2017.
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