According to multiple respected league sources, Kansas City Chiefs Cornerback Marcus Peters has been traded to the Los Angeles Rams for an undisclosed package of draft picks.
Considering that he has earned two pro bowl invitations, a first team all-pro nomination, and the 2015 defensive rookie of the year award, Marcus Peters has already established himself as a star cornerback. With his youth (he will be 25 at the beginning of the 2018 season) and talent in mind, this trade may seem ostensibly surprising for Chiefs fans. On the other hand, for a young Rams team on the cusp of Super Bowl contention, Peters’ prowess--and average of more than six interceptions a season-- will be a welcome addition. Without an idea of the compensation the Chiefs are receiving in return for Peters, however, it would be inappropriate to pass judgement on the trade. Instead, I am going to present two plausible reasons for why the Chiefs would trade a player of Peter’s caliber:
First, it is plausible that the Chiefs are trading Peters for draft picks because they are entering a rebuild. After trading Alex Smith to the Redskins for the young CB Kendall Fuller (he turned 23 last week) and a third round draft pick, the Chiefs have officially committed their future to their 2017 first round pick, Patrick Mahomes. Knowing that Mahomes will take a few years to develop, the Chiefs want to clear the locker room and stockpile draft picks and even younger players than Peters. Certainly, it is possible that they see Fuller as a younger, equally talented replacement at the cornerback position. Given the Chiefs’ recent postseason frustrations, the idea of a fresh start with young talent could seem like a better option than sticking with the group that has made first-round playoff exits the status quo.
The second possible reason that the Chiefs traded Marcus Peters is more likely than the first; I believe the Chiefs’ front office and coaching staff have deemed that Peters is a hopeless locker room cancer whose conduct is detrimental to the team. This belief is supported by the fact that Peters has a decorated history of discipline and maturity issues. While playing college football at Washington University, Peters was suspended for a sideline tantrum before later being dismissed from the team mid-season after allegedly engaging in a series of heated exchanges with assistant coaches. During his Chiefs career, Peters has received multiple fines for detrimental conduct and a suspension from the Chiefs for alleged arguments with coaches and this incident in which Peters bodies a referee and throws the official's yellow penalty flag into the stands.
Either way, the fact remains that the Rams bolstered their secondary with a talented player, and the Chiefs made another key move in changing the makeup of their team for 2018 and beyond.
(Image via USA Today)
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