Prior to the start of the season, the Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran cornerback Marcus Peters as the team felt it needed help in the secondary. Peters has been one of the best playmaking defensive backs in the NFL over the past decade and forcing turnovers has been an issue for the Raiders defense.
Peters hasn’t quite reached the same level he was at prior to the torn ACL he suffered in 2021, but he has started all 12 games for the Raiders this season and totaled 43 tackles along with an interception which he returned for a touchdown. He was benched in the second half of the Raiders’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs however and now it looks like his time with the franchise is done for good.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic the Raiders have chosen to release Peters, a move which saves them a bit of money in incentives they would have likely had to pay the veteran:
Breaking: The Raiders have released CB Marcus Peters. He had a interception return for a TD in Week 8, but was benched last night. The move saves the team $1.5 million in incentives that Peters was on pace to earn.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 27, 2023
There was an incident between Peters and interim coach Antonio Pierce on the sideline during the Chiefs game in which a conversation between the two got pretty animated. When asked about Peters’ benching after the game, Pierce simply said it was a “coach’s decision.”
A potential release of Peters has apparently been a possibility for some time now as Tafur also noted that the corner was almost cut earlier this season as well. As such, the sideline exchange with Pierce could have been the last straw in the team’s decision to move on.
Peters’ overall performance likely played a role too as the veteran was struggling to lock down the opposition this season. Peters was allowing a 66.1% completion percentage and a 103.2 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks. He also has the seventh-worst missed tackle percentage in the NFL at 20.4%.
Now sitting at 5-7 on the year the Raiders’ postseason hopes are dwindling and it doesn’t make sense to stick with a veteran, especially one who is having issues with the coach on the sideline. With Nate Hobbs and Amik Robertson, as well as rookie Jakorian Bennett, the Raiders have players they can turn to and get a better look at with Peters out of the picture.
