Rams have finalized big trade for All-Pro defender

By Ross Kelly February 23, 2018 at 3:38pm

The Kansas City Chiefs have been extremely busy this offseason, and for the second time in three weeks, the team is parting ways with a Pro Bowler.

After dealing Alex Smith to the Redskins on Jan. 30, Kansas City has finalized a deal to send All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams, according to multiple reports.

In return, the Chiefs will receive a package of draft picks from the Rams.

At one point, the #Chiefs were pushing to trade for DE Robert Quinn, along with a draft pick. But sounds like now it’ll be just draft picks going over to KC for Marcus Peters.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2018

All trades, including this one and the Smith deal, can’t become official until the new league year begins March 14.

At his best, Peters is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL as evident by his two Pro Bowl selections within his first three seasons. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and also was a co-leader in interceptions.

Peters’ 19 interceptions through his first three NFL seasons are tied for the fourth-most since the merger. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2016 after being second-team during his rookie year.

But Peters also had a couple of notable mishaps during his latest season.

In Week 7 he incurred an unnecessary roughness penalty from a hit on Derek Carr of the Raiders. That then prompted several Oakland players to go after Peters, who was then defended by a Raider — his close friend Marshawn Lynch.

Do you think Marcus Peters is a good fit for the Rams?

Peters was fined $9,115 for the hit, while Lynch was suspended for running onto the field to defend his buddy from his teammates.

Then in Week 13, Peters himself earned a suspension with his antics in a game against the Jets. Fellow Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson was whistled for a penalty in the red zone, and Peters responded by picking up the flag and throwing it into the stands.

Peters thought he was ejected from the game and headed to the locker room. He eventually returned to the sideline, without socks, and did not re-enter the game.

VIDEO: Marcus Peters launches a penalty flag into the stands. Officials did NOT eject him. pic.twitter.com/4MZDpBzCcF

— KCTV5 News (@KCTV5) December 3, 2017

The NFL didn’t suspend Peters, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid did. After missing one game, Peters returned to haul in two interceptions in Week 15 and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

While Peters may be a bit of a hothead, he was arguably Kansas City’s best defensive player.

Chiefs beat writer Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweeted Friday that not everyone in the locker room is on board with the trade.

Already hearing some rumblings about some current Chiefs being upset about this potential Marcus Peters trade. Compensation will be interesting

— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) February 23, 2018

Based on recent moves, the Chiefs will have two new starting cornerbacks in 2018. The team signed former Raider David Amerson last week after he was cut by Oakland, and the Chiefs also received Kendall Fuller in the Alex Smith trade.

Apart from Peters and Smith, two other former Pro Bowlers are also expected to leave the team. The franchise’s all-time leader in tackles, Derrick Johnson, and the team’s No. 2 sack man, Tamba Hali, have both been notified that the Chiefs will not be bringing them back next season.

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