Despite the shouts of FAKE NEWS! coming from Chiefs fans who disagree with the notion that cornerback Marcus Peters could be traded, the talk in league circles regarding the possibility that the Chiefs will entertain offers (if not initiate them) remains real. So why would they want to do it?
The Chiefs became sufficiently exasperated with Peters last year to suspend him for one game. Specific events, if any, preceding those that prompted the suspension aren’t known. Which is exactly what the Chiefs would want.
If the team has determined that Peters has reached the point at which he’s more trouble than he’s worth, it’s worth plenty for the team to keep the full extent of the trouble under wraps. After all, it’s impossible to get maximum compensation for Peters in trade if there’s reason for the prospective buyer to beware.
As to the balance between “trouble” and “worth,” the question for the Chiefs isn’t simply what he’s making this year or in 2019 under the fifth-year option. The question becomes whether it makes sense to make the kind of major financial investment that Peters will believe he deserves.
So it makes sense, when considering long-term options for Peters, to balance keeping him (and paying him handsomely) against trading him. Ultimately, the analysis hinges on what the Chiefs could get, and the topic has been discussed often enough in recent days to make it crystal that an interested suitor has reason to cobble together the terms of a possible offer.