Chiefs Expected To Release Ron Parker
The Chiefs are expected to part ways with Ron Parker this offseason, sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. By cutting the safety, KC will save nearly $5MM against the salary cap with just $2MM in dead money. 
The Chiefs re-signed Parker to a five-year, $30MM deal during the 2015 offseason, a pact that seemed a little rich at the time given his level of experience. Parker established new career highs across the board in 2014, but that was his very first season as a starter.
In 2017, Parker had the worst Pro Football Focus score of his career (40.1) and rated as one of the worst qualified safeties in the NFL. With his 31st birthday around the corner in August, it’s not a surprise to hear that the Chiefs are looking to cut bait.
Once Parker is cut and the trades of quarterback Alex Smith and cornerback Marcus Peters are made official, the Chiefs are expected to have roughly $19MM in cap space to work with. They’ll gain another $6.6MM in cap space if outside linebacker Tamba Hali retires or is released.
Chiefs To Receive Second-, Fourth-Round Picks For Marcus Peters
The Rams will send two draft choices to the Chiefs for Marcus Peters, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Neither of those selections will come in the first round, but the Chiefs will nab a second-round pick from the Rams. Rapoport reports Kansas City will receive Los Angeles’ 2018 fourth-round pick and its 2019 second-rounder for Peters.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) the Chiefs will also send a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft to the Rams along with Peters in this swap. The Chiefs were asking for a third-round pick and a player — like they received from the Redskins for Alex Smith — but ended up receiving this package from the Rams, per Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). Robert Quinn‘s name came up during the talks.
Although the Rams will be getting a high-ceiling player whose rookie contract — via the team picking up Peters’ 2019 option — has two years left, only they and the 49ers were confirmed suitors. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets an NFC personnel exec notes the return wasn’t as high as could be expected for a player of Peters’ caliber because of the low number of teams bidding.
By trading two of their best players, the Chiefs have now added third- and fourth-round picks in this year’s draft. This will help in a year in which they do not own a first-round choice. They acquired a third-rounder in the Smith deal. The Rams do not have a 2018 second-rounder, having sent it to the Bills for Sammy Watkins last August (they collected a sixth-round choice in that deal as well). They now do not have a 2019 Round 2 choice but are in line to employ a cornerback who landed on the All-Pro first team in 2016. Peters was the first Chiefs cornerback since Albert Lewis in 1990 to be named a first-team All-Pro.
The Chiefs selected Peters with the No. 18 pick in the 2015 draft, and he went on to become the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year. He’s been a polarizing player, having clashed with Kansas City’s coaching staff and with a sect of the Chiefs’ fanbase due to being part of the racial inequality protest, but has created takeaways at a historic rate. Peters has 19 interceptions, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in three seasons.
The Chiefs were leery about paying Peters as a top-market corner, and that responsibility will now fall on the Rams. Los Angeles, though, will be getting a top-tier corner and have him under team control at rates of $3.1MM (2018) and at around $9MM (2019).
David Amerson Contract Details
- Cornerback David Amerson inked a one-year deal with the Chiefs earlier this month, and while Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star previously reported the pact has a base value of $2.25MM, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link) has now provided the contract’s specifics. Amerson, 26, receives a $500K signing bonus, a $1MM base salary, $625K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $125K workout bonus. The deal also contains unknown incentives which, as Paylor indicated, could bring the total value of the agreement to $6MM.
Chiefs Considered Trading Steven Nelson?
The Chiefs traded away top cornerback Marcus Peters last week, but the club also considered dealing another defensive back in Steven Nelson, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
It’s unclear if Kansas City was choosing between a Peters or a Nelson trade, or if a deal involving Nelson could still come to fruition. The Chiefs had been shopping Peters for more than three weeks, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, so the club could have been discussing Nelson swaps during that period, as well.
Whether or not Nelson is dealt, the Chiefs’ defensive backfield figures to undergo significant change this offseason. Peters and Darrelle Revis (who was recently released) won’t be back in 2017, while Terrance Mitchell, Phillip Gaines, and Kenneth Acker all are scheduled for unrestricted free agency. It hasn’t been all subtractions for Kansas City’s secondary, however, as the club did acquire cornerback Kendall Fuller as part of the Alex Smith trade and ink ex-Raiders cornerback David Amerson to a one-year deal.
Nelson, 25, has been an above-average corner for the majority of his three-year career. In 2017, Nelson didn’t come off injured reserve until October while dealing with a core muscle ailment, but became a starter immediately upon his activation and graded as the league’s No. 62 corner among 121 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. The year prior, Nelson finished 36th among 84 cornerbacks in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
A third-round pick out of Oregon State in 2015, Nelson has one season left on his rookie contract. Thanks to the NFL’s proven performance escalator program, Nelson will earn a base salary of $1.908MM during the upcoming campaign.
Will Chiefs Cut Tamba Hali To Save Cap Space?
- Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali, Bills wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and others were identified by the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin as players who could be cut in cap-saving measures this offseason.
Marcus Peters Fallout: Reid, Draft, Contract
Andy Reid and Clark Hunt were not yet on board with Marcus Peters as a long-term Chiefs component, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). Concern inside Chiefs headquarters centered on a possible Peters extension, per Rapoport. The fourth-year cornerback is now eligible for a long-term deal, and it’s fairly clear the Chiefs had significant reservations about being the team that signed the accomplished corner to that contract. And that issue may have been forced this year. But Peters’ issues in the locker room played a key part in the franchise wanting to trade him, Rapoport reports.
The Chiefs knew Peters would demand to be the NFL’s highest-paid corner, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports, leading to this preemptive strike. Peters is set to make barely $3MM this season, and the Rams are now responsible for picking up his fifth-year option — which they surely will given the timing of this trade. Peters skipped OTAs last year, and Paylor notes a possible training camp holdout could have transpired this summer. A 2016 first-team All-Pro and 2015 defensive rookie of the year, Peters received his best Pro Football Focus assessment for his 2017 work. Entering his age-25 season, Peters has 19 interceptions. He forced a career-high five fumbles in 2017.
Here’s more from the Peters front.
- Rapoport reports this Rams/Chiefs deal will bring a package of picks to the Chiefs, but none of those is believed to be a first-rounder. That will mean the Chiefs still do not have a 2018 first-rounder after shipping it to the Bills in last year’s Patrick Mahomes deal. Kansas City picked up an extra third-rounder in January’s Alex Smith deal and collected a compensatory sixth-rounder in this draft as well. The Rams already shipped a 2018 second-round pick to the Bills for Sammy Watkins, so this latest trade could leave Los Angeles’ selection supply weakened.
- Wade Phillips‘ strong personality should mesh well with Peters’ polarizing style, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com tweets, recalling a conversation he had with a veteran defensive backs coach when Peters was draft-eligible in 2015. Phillips’ ability to get through to Aqib Talib helped the Broncos’ mercurial corner craft the most memorable portion of his career, with Talib helping the Broncos to a Super Bowl title in his first season with Phillips and landing on the All-Pro first team in his second.
- The 49ers were also interested in Peters, with the Browns’ interest being disputed, but the Seahawks were not exploring a Peters back back to Seattle despite his history in the city, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Peters was kicked off the University of Washington’s team during the 2014 season. Additionally, the playmaking corner measures just under 6-foot and has 31 1/2-inch arms. Pointing out the Seahawks haven’t drafted a boundary corner with arms shorter than 32 inches during Pete Carroll‘s tenure, Condotta writes Peters may not have been a fit in Seattle.
49ers, Browns Were Interested In Peters?
The Chiefs made another seismic trade this offseason, this time sending one of their best players to the Rams. But multiple other teams may have been interested in Marcus Peters prior to the Rams landing him.
Both the 49ers and Browns were interested in determining what it would cost to acquire the fourth-year cornerback, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). However, Rapoport and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo describe (on Twitter) both teams’ interest as “lukewarm” in the All-Pro corner.
However, it’s clear the Rams pushed talks to a degree their reported competition wasn’t willing to.
Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports (via Twitter) the Browns were not interested in bringing Peters to Cleveland. Additionally, the 49ers were interested, but both Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com report San Francisco did not submit an offer to Kansas City for Peters.
The Rams’ talks advanced to the point the Chiefs were seeking to add another big name to their defense in Robert Quinn, along with a pick, Rapoport tweets. This would have been interesting because Quinn’s play has not been on the level it was during his Pro Bowl seasons during the mid-2010s and the pass-rushing talent makes far more than Peters does at this point. Unlike Kendall Fuller coming to K.C. in the Alex Smith trade, the Chiefs did not get much 2018 salary relief by unloading Peters, who is entering the fourth season of his rookie deal. Quinn is set to earn $12.4MM this season.
Both the 49ers and Browns have needs at corner. Each team already visited with Vontae Davis, and Maiocco notes the 49ers are likely to be connected to big-name corners — including free agent-to-be Trumaine Johnson — come March. The Rams will not retain Johnson, per Rapoport.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.
Chiefs Trade Marcus Peters To Rams
The Chiefs have agreed to trade cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will be officially processed on March 14. It is not yet exactly known what the Rams are sending to KC in return, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the Chiefs will receive “a package of draft picks.” 
Peters, a first round selection in the 2015 draft, has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. However, he has given KC brass some serious headaches over the years. In December, the Chiefs suspended Peters for a game despite being in the thick of the playoff hunt. Over the last couple of weeks, trade speculation bubbled around Peters and on Friday the Chiefs struck agreement on a deal to ship him out of town.
Peters made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons and earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2016. He did not pick up either accolade in 2017, but he did finish out with 46 tackles, nine passes defended, three forced fumbles, five interceptions, and his first career touchdown. All in all, he has 24 turnovers to his credit across three seasons.
As far as the advanced analytics are concerned, 2017 was his best season to date. His 85.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus is a career best, tying him for No. 17 amongst all CBs in the NFL. Slot specialist Nickell Robey-Coleman (No. 19) was the only Rams corner to come close to Peters last season with Troy Hill (No. 57), Trumaine Johnson (No. 68), and Kayvon Webster (No. 80) did not come close.
It has been widely assumed that Johnson, a pending free agent, would not be in the Rams’ plans this season. The Peters acquisition all but ensures that Johnson will be elsewhere in 2018. The Rams currently project to start Peters and Webster at cornerback.
Peters will earn just $1.7MM this season and can be controlled through 2019 via the fifth-year option. The option is projected to cost $9.5MM, which is still a solid value for what he provides.
After losing a close game to the Titans in the Wild Card round, the Chiefs are not resting on their laurels this offseason. The Peters swap marks their second major trade this offseason, following the deal that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins.
[RELATED: Rams Depth Chart]
Marcus Peters Trade Rumors Continue
Chatter that Marcus Peters may not be long for the Chiefs continues to circulate in league circles, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). That talk figures to pick up next week at the combine, JLC notes, and that could spur action on a deal.
If the Chiefs are serious about dealing the cornerback, now would be the time to do it, opines Mike Florio of PFT. For now, the complete details surrounding Peters’ late-season suspension are unknown, and that’s ideal for the team if they want to unload him. The more time that goes by, the more likely it is that teams will dig in to his locker room behavior and possibly uncover something they don’t like. Peters’ talent is undeniable, but if the Chiefs are unwilling to make a big commitment to him beyond his fifth-year option in 2019, now is the time to act.
How serious are the Chiefs are about moving Peters? That’s not immediately clear, but this is telling: while no one has confirmed to Mike Garafolo or Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) that Peters is on the block, no one has shot down the possibility either.