Generally speaking, when you have some of the best players in the game at your position, the teams who draft them try to keep them around. When they leave, it’s usually because they just couldn’t afford them in free agency.
Marcus Peters certainly qualifies as one of the best cornerbacks in the game. Yet he was traded twice within the five years of his rookie contract (traded the second time during his fifth-year option year in 2019 to the Baltimore Ravens).
While he has fully integrated himself into the Ravens’ culture and has had quite a bit of success there (including seven interceptions in 24 games played), he hasn’t forgotten about the last team that traded him, the Los Angeles Rams — who would later trade for another top cornerback, Jalen Ramsey.
“Fuck them,” he said on cornerback Aqib Talib’s podcast, Catchin’ Fades. “I felt disrespected. In the sense of, yeah, you can trade me. That’s part of the business. But two minutes after that, you bring in another guy who do the same shit I do, maybe a little bit different. If we want to play this compare game, I do a little bit more. That shit was disrespectful to me.”
The Rams traded Peters and then traded for Ramsey on literally the same day, in the midst of the 2019 season. The Ravens later played Los Angeles that season, and the two cornerbacks got into an altercation after the game that required them to be separated by security.
Because of the new 17-game schedule, which adds a fifth interconference game, the Ravens will play the Rams this year. Peters and Ramsey will get another opportunity to meet up. Have they cleared the air since then? I’m guessing probably not.
Peters was the 18th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. During his three years with the Chiefs, he made the Pro Bowl twice and was also a first-team All-Pro, recording a striking 19 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He added another five interceptions in 22 games with the Rams and seven in 24 with the Ravens, returning a pair of picks for touchdowns with each of those teams, as well.
In all, he has recorded 31 interceptions in 90 games played over the course of the past six years, along with 86 passes defensed. He is only one of three players to record at least 20 interceptions over that span, and is far and away the leader. Xavien Howard has 22, while Tyrann Mathieu has 20.
For comparison, Joe Haden has the most interceptions for the Steelers over that span with 10, though admittedly he has only played with the Steelers in four of those six years. Minkah Fitzpatrick has nine interceptions over the course of the past two years, however, so he could make a strong six-year tally. Nobody else is even close, though. Third place is Ryan Shazier, who hasn’t played since 2017, with seven, tied with Mike Hilton.
