This has been a big year in the NFL in terms of trades, as the league that rarely sees blockbuster transactions has had a number of them since the start of the 2017 season. There was Jimmy Garoppolo being dealt by New England to San Francisco, and subsequently being rewarded with the biggest contract in NFL history after a strong start to his 49ers career.
Since the playoffs ended, the Chiefs have been the team at the center of the NFL’s biggest moves. It started with Alex Smith being traded to Washington to pave the way for Patrick Mahomes to take over as starter in Kansas City. That move also makes Kirk Cousins a prized free agent that will likely receive many big offers from teams desperate for quarterback help.
On Friday, we got another bombshell out of Kansas City as ESPN’s Adam Schefter brought word that the Chiefs were trading their star cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirming.
Chiefs are expected to trade CB Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams, sources tell ESPN. Teams are in final stages of talks and barring an unexpected snag, the trade is expected to be agreed to as early as today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 23, 2018
The #Chiefs and #Rams are finalizing a deal to trade CB Marcus Peters, sources confirmed (as @AdamSchefter said).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2018
It’s a fairly stunning move considering Peters is considered one of the league’s best young defensive backs, which is a premium position in today’s pass-happy NFL. However, Peters is set to enter free agency next year and if the Chiefs weren’t prepared to offer him the money he will command on the market, it makes some sense to get some value for him now. We’ll have to wait for more details to come out to find out exactly what they’ll get back in return, but one would expect Peters to fetch a solid return even if he’s an expiring deal.
The Rams get a tremendous player to add to a defense that boasts arguably the league’s most dominant force on the defensive line in Aaron Donald. After going 11-5 in the regular season to earn a playoff berth for the first time in years, L.A. is clearly going all-in on gunning for the NFC crown next season.
