The Las Vegas Raiders were continuing their upward trend this past Sunday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs, but ultimately fizzled out and fell 31-17 in Allegiant Stadium. Following the loss, which was the second consecutive one in the Antonio Pierce era, some tough decisions were made.
The Raiders released former All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters on Monday. He has been sluggish this year and was benched in the Chiefs game after missing a tackle (12 overall this season). The 30-year-old hasn't been the same since he tore his ACL in September of 2021.
Pierce knows all too well the harsher aspects of the industry and spoke in a bit more detail about his unfortunate meeting with Peters.
“Me and M.P. had some good conversations throughout this entire process,” Las Vegas' interim head coach told the media, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. “I was the linebacker coach when he first got here. On and off the field, [he's] somebody I respect as a person. I respect what he's done in this game. He's professional, but it's a business. We're all going to get cut. We're all going to get fired. Get hired to get fired, right? So he understands that. I understand that. It's part of business that we all hate for ourselves.”
Is Marcus Peters nearing end of career after Raiders' release?
Pierce played defense in the NFL for nine years and can obviously relate to Peters in a variety ways. Their common ground hopefully made that dreaded one-on-one a bit more palatable.
Marcus Peters appears to be in the final stages of his career, which probably makes his late-season release a bit surreal. He tallied 43 combined tackles and five passes defensed, with his big highlight of the year being a pick-six versus the Detroit Lions. This departure is not easy for Antonio Pierce, either.
“Yeah, it's always difficult when you have to release a player,” he said . “That conversation, I don't look forward to. Hate it. Hate it. It's not good. It's not a good feeling.”
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