The New York Jets have a huge need at corner and Marcus Peters was available. Why didn’t gang green make the move?
The days of Darrelle Revis are long gone. The New York Jets no longer have a surplus of strength at cornerback, they have a glaring deficiency at the position. Currently, they only have one veteran corner signed on the roster (Buster Skrine).
So why the heck wouldn’t the Jets go all-in on a Pro Bowl level talent in Marcus Peters?
He’s 25 years old and he’s second all-time in most interceptions in his first three years (21 interceptions, including postseason) behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed.
This kid is a transcendent talent at the position. For that kind of player, the LA Rams had to give up the farm right? WRONG.
Full terms on Marcus Peters trade:
Chiefs trade CB Marcus Peters and 2018 sixth-round pick to LA for 2019 second-round pick and 2018 fourth-round pick, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2018
The Los Angeles Rams absolutely fleeced the Kansas City Chiefs. A second-round pick you hope can be a starter and a fourth-round pick is a role player. So the Chiefs traded a possible Hall of Fame candidate for some potential role players?
Did the Jets even have a chance? According to Peter King, every team had a chance and 28 of them said no without much thought. I think the Jets were among those teams who gave a blunt no.
The Chiefs called all 31 other teams about Marcus Peters. 28 took a hard pass or offered nothing of value. @SI_PeterKing on why Kansas City moved on from its star cornerback:https://t.co/M7F9v4rRWJ pic.twitter.com/m2vscCzEsh
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) February 27, 2018
While as uber-talented as Peters is, he’s not worth the potential headache. The Jets have way too many problem children on the team. For example, this week the Jets had their fourth arrest in the last nine months. The locker room health is more important than any individually talented player.
The Jets have seen what locker room cancers can do to the team. Last season Muhammad Wilkerson was a glorified cheerleader after his lackadaisical effort and attendance issues. Before that, there was Sheldon Richardson and his inappropriate language, fights in the locker room, etc.
This team has cleaned things up this past year by getting rid of problem children (Brandon Marshall, Richardson), they need to keep it squeaky clean if they truly want to turn things around.
Peters has a history that includes getting kicked out of college due to a myriad of immaturity issues. He has said that he’s a new man since coming to the NFL, but that didn’t seem to be the case this past season.
You should remember Jets fans because it happened in Week 13 of last season. Peters threw a penalty flag into the crowd near the end of the game. He walked off the field (without being ejected) before eventually returning to the field, but he never returned to the game. The Jets ended up winning 38-31.
Peters was later suspended for the next game due to this incident (and apparently fighting with an unnamed coach). That’s not something the Jets want to take in.
There’s a reason that the Chiefs were willing to offload a player that talented for what appears to be such a marginal return. There’s no easy way to success. Success is not a destination, it’s a journey. The sooner the Jets realize that the better off they’ll be.
