 Peters with thePhiladelphia Eagles in 2017 | |||||||||||
| No. 71, 70, 73 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1982-01-22)January 22, 1982 (age 43) Queen City, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 328 lb (149 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Queen City | ||||||||||
| College | Arkansas (2000–2003) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2004: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Jason Raynard Peters (born January 22, 1982) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle for 19 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theArkansas Razorbacks and was signed as an offensive tackle by theBuffalo Bills as anundrafted free agent after the2004 NFL draft. He was later traded to thePhiladelphia Eagles in 2009 and spent the next twelve seasons playing for them. He would later be a member of theChicago Bears in 2021, theDallas Cowboys in 2022, and theSeattle Seahawks in 2023. Peters was a nine-timePro Bowler, a six-timeAll-Pro, and was named to theNFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
After starting in both football and basketball atQueen City High School (TX), Peters attended theUniversity of Arkansas and played for theArkansas Razorbacks football team.[1] Originally recruited as adefensive tackle, he spent his freshman campaign as a reserve defensive lineman. He was then moved to thetight end spot, where he caught four passes for 37 yards as a sophomore. In his junior season, Peters registered 21 catches for 218 yards and four touchdowns, which earned him a second-teamAll-Southeastern Conference selection.
Following his junior year, Peters decided forgo his last season and enter the 2004 NFL Draft. As a fairly athletic tight end at more than 320 pounds, Peters was seen as "a clone of formerDenver Broncos giantOrson Mobley."[2] Though Peters was a tight end in college, he was primarily used as an extra blocker on the end of the o-line for Arkansas' rushing oriented offense. Since he registered far more knockdown blocks (61) than catches (21) as a junior, Peters spent much time prior to the draft working O-line drills, preparing himself to probably be an offensive tackle in the NFL. His position became problematic as a tweener that was too large to be a prototypical tight end, but had no experience playing an offensive lineman. He participated at theNFL Scouting Combine and impressively ran a 4.93s in the40-yard dash, confusing more scouts and experts due to his speed and athleticism.[3]Sports Illustrated projected Peters to be selected in the fourth round of the draft.[4]
"He's what they call a 'jumbo athlete'. Very agile. Catches the ball well. Blocking? He's probably not as good as what people expect to see, as far as playing tackle. Plus, from everything I know, his mentality is more to be a skilled-position player. He'll be intriguing to watch the next couple of years, to see what he develops into."[3]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 328 lb (149 kg) | 33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.89 s | 1.73 s | 2.91 s | 4.75 s | 7.70 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | 25 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
He would not be selected in the2004 NFL draft and became an undrafted free agent with offers from about 20 NFL teams.[1] On April 26, 2004, theBuffalo Bills signed Peters as anundraftedrookiefree agent to a two–year, $540,000 contract that included asigning bonus of $5,000.[7]
"He was a phenom on special teams. He did everything—covered kicks, and he was on the punt block team. One year in Cincinnati, we beat Cincinnati, he got through and blocked a punt. He was a phenomenal athlete."[3]
He was cut then re-signed to the Bills'practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on November 12, 2004.[8] Peters made his mark onspecial teams as a wedge buster onkickoffs and as a blocking tight end, while beginning to learn to playoffensive tackle under the tutelage of offensive line coachJim McNally.
On July 14, 2006, the Bills signed Peters to a five–year, $16.5 million contract extension that included an initial signing bonus of $1.5 million.[7]
In 2006, Peters beat out formerTexas starMike Williams for starting right tackle on the Bills. In 2007, Peters began the season entrenched as the starting right tackle. After Week 7, the Bills reshuffled their offensive line to better protectquarterbackJ. P. Losman. Peters was moved to left tackle, replacingMike Gandy who moved inside to left guard.
After the2006 season,Sports Illustrated'sPaul Zimmerman debated selecting Peters to hisAll-Pro team. "I was rooting for the Bills' Jason Peters, whom I would have loved to pick, but he isn't there yet. Very athletic, but not enough of a roughneck."[9] Peters allowed only two sacks in that season and was not called for a holding penalty.[10]
In 2007, Peters was selected to start at left tackle in thePro Bowl for theAmerican Football Conference team. He injured his groin in a game against theNew York Giants, and was unable to attend the Pro Bowl game. He was the first Bills offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl sinceRuben Brown in 2003.[8]
Entering the 2008 offseason, Peters was unhappy with his contract from2006 after he was named to twoPro Bowls and had started at left tackle for 45 games over the last three seasons before injuring his knee at the end of the2007 NFL season. At the time, Peters still had two–years remaining from his current contract and was due to make $3.8 million in total. He demanded a new contract, but after no deal was met he chose to holdout and refused to report to any of the Bills' offseason workouts and their mandatory mini camps. He reportedly was seeking a new contract inbetween $8 million and $11.5 million per season.[11] On July 25, 2008, the NFL Network'sAdam Schefter reported he was informed Peters would continue his contract holdout and refused to report to the Bills' training camp.[12] On September 5, 2008, Peters ended his holdout and returned to the Bills' in time for the regular season opener after he missed the entire training camp and preseason. Peters was fined about $550,000 for missing all of training camp, but if he had missed a regular season game, he would have been fined $191,000 for each game he missed.[13]
Peters was selected as the starting left tackle in the Pro Bowl and was a Second-team All-Pro for the 2008 season.
On April 17, 2009, the Bills traded Peters to thePhiladelphia Eagles and received their first round pick (28th overall, used to select centerEric Wood) and fourth round pick (121st overall, used to select tight endShawn Nelson) in the2009 NFL draft and a conditional sixth round pick in the2010 NFL draft (used to select linebackerDanny Batten). Peters had been unhappy with his contract and had not been attending the Bills' offseason activities after staging a holdout in 2008 during training camp.
Upon the trade becoming official, the Eagles signed Peters to a six–year, $60 million contract that included $25 million guaranteed.[14] The contract restructured the remaining two years from Peters' previous deal with the Buffalo Bills and added a four year extension that had a maximum value of $60 million total after potential incentives and bonuses were included..[15][16] Head coachAndy Reid added, "Jason Peters is the best left tackle in football. He is a powerful and athletic tackle and I have admired his play over the last few years on film."[16]
Peters was selected to the2010 Pro Bowl and2011 Pro Bowl as a starter and was a 2010 second-team All-Pro selection. On March 28, 2012, Petersruptured his Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. He ruptured it a second time in May 2012 after the equipment he was using to move around his house malfunctioned.[17] He was placed on the active/non-football injury list on July 22, 2012, before the start of training camp.
On February 26, 2014, Peters signed a new five-year deal worth $51.3 million with the Eagles.[18]
During a game against theWashington Redskins on September 21, 2014, Redskins playerChris Baker took out Eagles quarterbackNick Foles with an illegal hit.[19] Following the hit, a brawl broke out on the sidelines between both teams. Baker was confronted by Peters, who then took a swing at Baker which resulted in both players gettingejected in the scuffle.[20] On September 27, 2014, Peters was fined $10,000.
On June 14, 2017, Peters signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles through the 2019 season.[21] On October 23, 2017, during Monday Night Football against the Redskins, Peters left the game with an apparent right knee injury. The next night, it was revealed that his right knee had tears to the ACL and MCL, which ended his 2017 season.[22][23] The Eagles went on to winSuper Bowl LII against theNew England Patriots 41–33, giving Peters his firstSuper Bowl ring.[24]
On March 11, 2019, the Eagles signed Peters on a one-year contract for the 2019 season.[25] On July 17, 2020, Peters signed another one-year contract with the Eagles. He was set to start at right guard following a season-ending injury toBrandon Brooks,[26] but was moved back to left tackle following a season-ending injury toAndre Dillard.[27] He was given a restructured contract after his move to left tackle on September 10, 2020.[28] He was placed oninjured reserve on October 3, 2020, with a foot injury.[29] He was activated on October 31, 2020.[30] He was placed back on injured reserve on December 12, 2020, ending his season.[31]
On August 16, 2021, Peters signed with theChicago Bears, after the team was decimated with injuries at theleft tackle position.[32] He reunited with head coachMatt Nagy and offensive line coachJuan Castillo, both of whom were Eagles assistants in Peters' first years with the Eagles.
In Week 1 against theLos Angeles Rams, he suffered a quadriceps injury in the second quarter and was replaced with rookieLarry Borom andElijah Wilkinson. In Week 14 against theGreen Bay Packers, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter and was replaced with rookieTeven Jenkins. Jenkins also started the next two games, before Peters returned to the starting lineup. He started in 15 out of 17 games for the team. He was not re-signed after the season.
On September 5, 2022, Peters signed with theDallas Cowboys practice squad to provide depth whileTyron Smith recovered from his torn hamstring injury and to improve his conditioning form.[33] He was promoted to the active roster on September 26.[34] He also served as a mentor to rookie offensive tackleTyler Smith.[35] In Week 3 against theNew York Giants, he played 14 snaps at left guard, becoming just the sixth offensive lineman (Andrew Whitworth,Ray Brown,Bruce Matthews,Jackie Slater andJeff Van Note) to play an NFL game in his 40s.[1]
In Week 14 against theHouston Texans,Josh Ball replaced an injuredTerence Steele (tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee), but he struggled so much that Peters was forced to play atright tackle for the first time since 2006 on the eventual game-winning drive. In Week 17 against theTennessee Titans, a high ankle sprain injury to centerTyler Biadasz led to a three-player shuffle on the offensive line, which included Peters playing at left tackle. In Week 18 against theWashington Commanders, he started at left tackle. He played sparingly during the season (10 games with one start), suffering multiple injuries, including one on his hip, that kept him out of the divisional playoff round loss to theSan Francisco 49ers. He was not re-signed after the season.
WithTom Brady's retirement from the NFL on February 1, Peters became the oldest active NFL player at 41 years old.[1]
On September 11, 2023, theSeattle Seahawks hosted Peters for a workout.[36] One day later on September 12, he signed with the team's practice squad after injuries forced both of Seattle's starting tackles, second-year playersAbraham Lucas andCharles Cross, out of their Week 1 game against theLos Angeles Rams.[37][38] He was signed to the active roster on November 18.[39] He became a free agent after the 2023 season.
On October 1, 2024, Peters was re-signed to the Seahawks practice squad.[40] He was placed on practice squad injured reserve on December 6, 2024.[41]
Peters announced his retirement after 21 NFL seasons on February 25, 2025, to take a job in the Seahawks' front office.[42]
| Year | Team | Games | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | BUF | 5 | 1 |
| 2005 | BUF | 16 | 10 |
| 2006 | BUF | 16 | 16 |
| 2007 | BUF | 15 | 15 |
| 2008 | BUF | 13 | 13 |
| 2009 | PHI | 15 | 15 |
| 2010 | PHI | 14 | 14 |
| 2011 | PHI | 13 | 13 |
| 2013 | PHI | 16 | 16 |
| 2014 | PHI | 16 | 16 |
| 2015 | PHI | 14 | 14 |
| 2016 | PHI | 16 | 16 |
| 2017 | PHI | 7 | 7 |
| 2018 | PHI | 16 | 16 |
| 2019 | PHI | 13 | 13 |
| 2020 | PHI | 8 | 8 |
| 2021 | CHI | 15 | 15 |
| 2022 | DAL | 12 | 1 |
| 2023 | SEA | 8 | 2 |
| Career | 248 | 221 | |
Peters was arrested and charged with playingloud music anddisturbing the peace on March 26, 2011, inShreveport, Louisiana.[43] He was arrested and charged with speeding and resisting a police officer by flight on June 12, 2013, inMonroe, Louisiana.[44]
