The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of tough decisions in free agency that goes beyond Lamar Jackson. Their decision with Marcus Peters will be interesting to watch as well. Should the team be looking to re-sign him?
Should Baltimore Ravens re-sign Marcus Peters?
Last season Marcus Peters played for $14M. However, he is now 30 years old, and the cornerback market is fierce. Spotrac has him projected to see a salary closer to $9.8M per year, and PFF has him projected for $7M per year. Both of them have him on a two-year deal.
So, two years for $16M sounds better than what he was playing on, but you have to understand that he is not even close to the same player.
Peters tore his ACL in 2021 and missed the entire season. In 2022 he came back and while he only missed four games, he did miss time. Beyond that, he was not nearly the same play.
Peters had a career-low in interceptions as well as passes broken up. When you watched Peters over the years, you know these are the staples of his game. He will get burnt here and there, but he always made up for it by getting his hands on footballs and making plays.
However, if that part of his game is gone, he has to start playing more conservatively. That is not the type of player he is, though. It is not the type of player who will age gracefully.
When you add in the ACL and the reality that he will be 30, there is the chance that he lost a step that you cannot get back. That is devastating for any cornerback, but especially one who is feast or famine.
There is a real chance that the reduced salary is still not worth it if his play starts to fall off further. This is why a shorter-term deal makes a lot of sense.
Beyond that, the Ravens have to wonder if this is the right time to pivot. There are better free-agent cornerbacks out there, and the team could find a way to upgrade from Peters at a similar salary. Beyond that, the strength of this draft class is the cornerback group. The Ravens could easily add in free agency and the draft.
This would give them options that are younger across the board, and certainly cheaper via the draft pick. Marcus Peters had a nice run with the Baltimore Ravens, but at his current possible salary, the team should look in another direction.