The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t done building the roster quite yet. Rookies are reporting to training camp on July 20 with veterans reporting on July 25. With the season in sight, the team is going to continue to tinker with the roster.
Veteran cornerback Marcus Peters has been linked to the Raiders previously and it appears a deal could coming down the pipeline soon. According to a July 19 tweet from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it seems “inevitable” that the Raiders will be signing Peters to a contract.
Feels like Marcus Peters to the @Raiders is inevitable.
This mirrors a June 14 report from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed where they reported that Peters was “likely” to sign with the team before training camp. The Raiders brought the cornerback in for a visit back in May but he left Las Vegas without a contract. However, Tafur and Reed reported that the two sides have remained in contact. Now that training is starting up for all 32 teams, Peters should be signing soon if he plans to play in 2023. As of now, it looks like the Raiders are the clear-cut favorites to land the three-time Pro Bowler.
What Kind of Contract Could Marcus Peters Get?
This late in the game, Marcus Peters likely isn’t looking at a massive payday. Spotrac has Peters’ market value set at two years, $19.78 million. Over the Cap has the Raiders at just $2.8 million in salary cap space. To afford Peters, they may have to make some moves via cuts or contract restructures.
Peters is from Oakland, California, where the Raiders used to play from 1960 to 1981 and then again from 1995 to 2019. The cornerback admitted in a 2015 interview with The Mercury News that he’s a “Raiders fan at heart.” The chance to play for his favorite team could persuade him to take a bit of a discount but that remains to be seen. If he was willing to come to play on the cheap, he may already be signed.
Las Vegas Raiders Previously Named Best Fit for Marcus Peters
The Raiders didn’t make substantial moves in the secondary this offseason. The most notable cornerback backs signings were Duke Shelley, who has started just 11 games in his career, and David Long Jr., who has started in 10. Peters has started in 103 games over his career and has 32 interceptions. Matt Bowen of ESPN previously wrote that he thinks the Raiders are the “best fit” for Peters.
“The Raiders had six interceptions last season, which tied for the lowest total in the league,” Bowen wrote in a June 1 column. “There’s a real need for playmakers in the secondary. That’s Peters, an aggressive, ball-hawking corner who has 32 interceptions over eight NFL seasons.
“The scheme fit works well here, too, as Peters has the traits to break on throws in the Raiders’ single-high coverages while also baiting the quarterback as a rolled-up flat defender in Cover 2. Even with the injury history — Peters hasn’t played a full season since 2018 — his ability to create on-the-ball production would be an upgrade to the Vegas defense. The Raiders didn’t draft a corner until Round 4 in April, so there are plenty of snaps available this season.”
Comments
‘Inevitable’ That Raiders Sign 3-Time Pro Bowl Free Agent: Report