In the end, the Marcus Peters trade worked out for both sides. And now they meet again
Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was asked earlier last week if he had a favorite interception or rated his big plays. This after an artistic, diving pick of a Deshaun Watson pass in the previous weekend’s victory over the Texans.
No, his favorite wasn’t that one, the 28th pick of his six-year NFL career.
“My first interception,” Peters said. “That one’s better than all of them. That’s the one that got me kicked off.”
The first one occurred in the same Houston stadium as his most recent, and we’ll get to that snapshot in a moment. The more important story line is the business at hand, Peters’ Ravens playing host to the Chiefs on Monday Night Football
The AFC’s best squaring off in showdown that figures to have conference playoff-seeding implications, matching two of the game’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, coaching friends in Andy Reid and John Harbaugh and other narratives that swell the meaning of the game.
Peters is one of those. A member of the Chiefs for his first three seasons in the NFL after being drafted out of the University of Washington, he’s meeting his old team for the second time and seeking a similar outcome as the first. He was on the field for the L.A. Rams during that wild Monday night game in 2018, which the Chiefs lost 54-51. Peters helped the Rams’ cause that evening with an interception.
Peters’ final season in Kansas City was 2017, Mahomes’ rookie year. The now-star QB ran the KC scout team against Peters and the Chiefs’ starting defense. Peters and Mahomes know each other well.
“I remember when he started throwing the damn no-look pass in practice,” Peters said. “So, the dude is amazing.”
The Chiefs feel similarly about their former star corner, the No. 18 overall draft pick who was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and made the first of his All-Pro teams in 2016.
“Marcus is a very, very intelligent football player,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “He takes a tremendous amount of pride in studying. He’s always been a student of the game.”
Both sides seemed ready to move on when the Chiefs traded Peters to the Rams. Peters was suspended by the NFL for a game in his final year with the Chiefs for throwing an official’s flag into the stands. Also, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt wasn’t happy with Peters’ refusal to stand for the national anthem, and the two men reached an agreement where Peters would remain off the field during the pre-game rendition.
Draft picks from the slots acquired in the Peters trade remain with the team: safeties Armani Watts and Juan Thornhill.
Success followed Peters and his original team. He helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl the year before the Chiefs captured the championship.
Now Peters, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Ravens in December — two months after the Rams traded him to Baltimore — faces his old team in this uniform for the first time. They know each other well; Peters was teammates with Travie Kelce, Tyreek Hill and others, along with Mahomes.
But only a handful of current Chiefs were around when Peters collected his first interception for KC. On the first defensive snap of the opening game in his rookie year, linebacker Justin Houston got heavy pressure on quarterback Brian Hoyer. The ball went directly to Peters, who didn’t miss it.
Two plays later the Chiefs were in the end zone and on their way to victory. One snap, one interception and a career as one of the NFL’s premiere corners was underway.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "In the end, the Marcus Peters trade worked out for both sides. And now they meet again."