The Las Vegas Raiders and free-agent cornerback Marcus Peters agreed to a one-year deal on Monday, league sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
- Peters played 13 games last season in Baltimore, registering 47 tackles, two for loss, a sack and an interception.
- The 30-year-old is entering his eighth NFL season after starting his career with the Chiefs, who drafted him in the first round in 2015. Peters was traded by the Chiefs to the Rams in 2018, only to be traded to the Ravens a year later.
- Peters won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award after leading the league in interceptions (eight), passes defended (26) and interception return yards (280). He is a three-time Pro Bowler.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why this makes sense for both sides
Since Peters took a visit with the Raiders in May, rumors have swirled about the cornerback ultimately landing in Vegas. And after a workout at team headquarters Monday, the two sides finally agreed to terms before veterans are set to report for training camp Tuesday. Peters is an Oakland native and grew up a Raiders fan, so this is a reunion of sorts. And, more importantly, he provides some stability to a cornerback room that exited OTAs without any clear answers as to who was in position to start. Now, the Raiders have at least one outside starting cornerback in place with Peters onboard. — Reed
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Is he worth the risk?
On the field, it’s been a bumpy two-year stretch for Peters. In 2021, he suffered a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire season. And while he recovered in time to start in Week 1 of the 2022 season, his performance wasn’t up to par. Across 13 starts, he gave up 54 catches for 711 receiving yards (fourth-most in the league) and seven touchdowns (tied for second), according to Pro Football Reference. He also posted a couple of career lows with just one interception and six pass deflections. It’s only a one-year deal, so the Raiders aren’t risking much here, but they’re obviously banking on a redemption campaign from Peters in 2023. — Reed
How the Raiders secondary will look
As for who’ll start alongside Peters, that remains unclear. During OTAs, Duke Shelley, David Long Jr., Nate Hobbs, Jakorian Bennett, Brandon Facyson and Sam Webb all logged reps with the starting defense at outside corner while Hobbs and Tyler Hall took most of the first-team snaps at nickelback. The competition is ongoing and will be something to monitor closely throughout training camp leading up to the season. — Reed
Required reading
- Raiders offseason takeaways: Latest on Jimmy Garoppolo, Chandler Jones, Marcus Peters
- Ravens CB Marcus Peters Q&A: ‘I’ll put us up against anybody, man’
(Photo: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)