The best analysis of the Marcus Peters trade I have seen so far comes from the KC Star’s Terez Paylor. His piece is here. Give it a read.
The gist is that the Chiefs, according to Terez, expected Peters to demand a ton of money. The highest paid corner in the league is currently Trumaine Johnson who is making over $16 million on the franchise tag. Terez pegs the number the Chiefs were expecting from Peters at $18 million per season. Peters has one more year left on his rookie deal plus the fifth-year option so effectively two more years under contract.
The NFL’s highest paid player at a position isn’t always the best player at that position (see Kirk Cousins in about three weeks) but in Peters’ case it would be close. I wouldn’t blink at Peters expecting to be the NFL’s highest paid corner. His play backs that up. That’s the market.
For the Chiefs, that’s too rich, apparently. It is a very, very high price for a non-quarterback but this is one of the premium positions. If you’re going to get that much from a non-quarterback, it’s going to be a corner or a pass rusher.
$18 million is a lot of money. Shutting down half the field is pretty valuable, too.