Getty Ex-Bears OL Jason Peters has signed with the Cowboys.
After a successful workout, former Chicago Bears offensive lineman Jason Peters is signing with the Dallas Cowboys. Peters confirmed the news on Instagram.
The plan is for the 40-year-old Peters to start out on the practice squad for a few weeks as a sort of ramp-up period.
“You can’t really get in football shape until you put the pads and helmet on, so that’s what I’m going to be doing the first couple of weeks,” Peters told the Dallas Morning News on September 5, shortly after being signed by Dallas.
Signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent out of the university of Arkansas in 2004, Peters has played 17 seasons in the league: five with the Bills, from 2004 to 2008, 11 with the Philadelphia Eagles 2009-2020 and a lone year with the Bears in 2021.
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Peters Still Had It in 2021
Peters started 15 games at left tackle for the Bears last year, and he played well considering Chicago signed him less than a month before the regular season began. He allowed just six sacks and five quarterback hits in 517 pass block snaps, and according to PFF, his 77.5 overall grade in 2021 was the highest by a Bears tackle since 2017.
The Bears signed Peters to a one year deal worth $1.75 million with $1.3 million guaranteed (numbers courtesy of Spotrac). It turned out to be a bargain for Chicago, as the stalwart O-Lineman missed just two games due to injury in 2021, missing Weeks 14 and 15 with a back issue.
Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro, is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame after he hangs up his cleats, and now, he’ll be taking his talents to Dallas — a team he used to torment.
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Peters Says He’s Thrilled to Be in Dallas
Peters, who won Super Bowl 52 with the Eagles — the Cowboys’ biggest rival — after the 2017 season, says he bonded immediately with Dallas owner Jerry Jones, noting they spoke about the veteran OL’s time at Arkansas.
“At the end of the day, me and Jerry go back to Arkansas,” Peters said. “When he called me, we sat down and talked. It was like love at first sight. We were talking about the Hogs.”
Jones, who has owned the Cowboys since 1989, also attended the University of Arkansas, where he graduated in 1965.
When he does get moved up to the active roster eventually, Peters will make an excellent mentor for Cowboys’ first-round pick Tyler Smith, who is expected to start at left tackle Week 1.
“Just trying to set the bar for the up-and-coming youth,” Peters told the Dallas Morning News. “If you love the game and want to keep playing, I’m showing them you can do it instead of letting the league run you out. I’m a living testimony that you can keep going.”