Should Raiders be interested in CB Marcus Peters?

Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks that Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters has worn out his welcome in Kansas City and the team will look to trade him. KC’s recent acquisition of former Raider David Amerson would seem to imply that the defending AFC West champs are looking for corner help.

Since Peters entered the league in 2015, he’s been one of the best and most mercurial corners in the NFL. He has 18 picks in three seasons, but also has a reputation for being emotional and somewhat of a prima donna. A fine example of this is when Peters threw a penalty flag into the stands in a game against the Jets last year. The Chiefs saw fit to suspend him for one game for his actions.

So it’s understandable that Kansas City may want to move on from him. They will undoubtedly have teams interested, such as Green Bay and New England. But Peters wasn’t born in Wisconsin or Massachusetts. He was born in Oakland, California.

Even though intra-divisional trades are rare, it’s not inconceivable that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and GM Reggie McKenzie could make a play for Peters and bring him home to the Bay Area. Jon Gruden’s final first-round pick as coach of the Buccaneers was similarly troubled Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib.

The Raiders should be looking at the cornerback market in free agency. The big prize is Rams CB Trumaine Johnson, but he’s going to command a massive deal that McKenzie may not be willing to pay. Other free agent corners include Vontae Davis, Aaron Colvin and Kyle Fuller. None of those three are on Peters’ level, though Colvin might prove a valuable slot corner should the Raiders lose TJ Carrie in free agency.

It may be that the best value on the corner market is with Peters. Surely the Oakland native would jump at the chance to join his hometown team and his friend Marshawn Lynch. The questions are, firstly, is Peters worth the trouble? The Chiefs have clearly grown tired of his shtick, but living in Missouri is enough to drain the optimism from anyone. Would Peters be a better teammate in Oakland and, shortly, in Las Vegas?

Secondly, would the Chiefs trade him to the Raiders? Kansas City may not wish to help improve their main divisional rival, but trades are also hard to come by when free agency is close. The Patriots, Packers or even the Seahawks aren’t going to give up the moon here. The only team without leverage is the Chiefs. They don’t want a lame-duck season for Peters where he mentally checks out, knowing he won’t be in KC next year.

The one advantage Kansas City has over the other potential landing spots for Peters is the presence of safety Eric Berry. Peters playing next to Berry is one of the best, if not the best corner in the NFL. Peters not next to Berry has been about average. How would Peters do next to another starting-caliber safety, as if the Raiders have one? Who knows.

The Raiders need a lot of help on defense. There are two top-shelf corners available in the draft likely to be taken in the first round, Ohio State’s Denzel Ward and Iowa’s Josh Jackson. Oakland could use its top-ten pick on one of them, and pair them with last year’s first rounder, Gareon Conley. But with Oakland’s main deficiency being the defensive backfield, can they really afford to have as their two starting corners players with a combined experience level of one injury-plagued season which had a grand total of one start? The Raiders simply must add a veteran, and making a play for Peters- by sending, perhaps, a third-round pick- could be an answer to this dilemma.

So would you want to see the dynamic and possibly insane Marcus Peters in Silver and Black next year?