Rams trade for cornerback Marcus Peters
Making a major splash, the Los Angeles Rams have made a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In a trade as sudden as it was impactful, the Los Angeles Rams have acquired cornerback Marcus Peters. The team has reportedly sent out multiple draft picks in exchange for the two-time pro bowler.
This trade came at the perfect time, as the team soon had to decide whether they would opt to use the franchise tag on cornerback, Trumaine Johnson. With the arrival of Peters, it is safe to assume they will inevitably let Johnson walk in free agency.
While it may be sad to see Johnson play elsewhere, it is the best-case scenario for the Rams. In replacing Johnson with Peters, the team made a major upgrade at the position, while simultaneously saving themselves a large chunk of money.
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Including the fifth-year team option, Peters still has two years left on his very affordable rookie contract. If Trumaine Johnson were to be given the franchise tag for a third time, he would have been making upwards of $17 million dollars next season.
Even if Johnson would have been able to come to an agreement with the team on a long-term contract, it would still cost them substantially more than Peters will for the next two seasons.
According to spotrac.com, Trumaine Johnson has a market value in the range of $13.6 million annually. Compare that to the $1.5 million Peters is due for next year, and the financial implications are undeniably positive.
As previously stated, Marcus Peters is also an upgrade over Johnson on the field. This past season, Pro Football Focus gave Peters an 85.7 grade, the 17th best rating in the league. Trumaine Johnson was only awarded a 74.2, coming in as the 68th best at the position.
Another positive result of this trade is that the team can now franchise tag wide receiver, Sammy Watkins, with no reservations. Before this trade, the team had to choose between using the tag on either Johnson, or Watkins, if they were to use it at all. Now the decision is much easier. If they can not get a long-term deal done before the franchise tag deadline, expect to see Watkins brought back with the tag.
Even more importantly, the team also now has even more flexibility to give Aaron Donald the massive contract extension he deserves. The defensive player of the year held out at the start of last season, but did not receive the deal he desired. Coming off of a defensive player of the year caliber season, it is hard to imagine the team will not award him with the money he desires.
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As of the time of this being written, it has not been reported exactly what the package of draft picks the team gave up for Peters entails. Unless that package included an unreasonable number of high picks, it is safe to say the Rams won this trade in every sense of the word.