Marcus Antonio Peters (born January 9, 1993) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft and was also a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders. He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Peters currently serves as the head football coach at McClymonds High School.
Peters attended and graduated from McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, where he played football and ran track. He played as a cornerback on the football team. As a senior, he notched seven interceptions and scored six touchdowns on kick or punt returns. He also played wide receiver and kicker. He was named the MVP of the Oakland Athletic League, as he led the Warriors to a 12–0 record, the school's first perfect season.
In track & field, Peters competed as a sprinter. and as a senior he won the 100 meters (10.87 s) and 200 meters (22.91 s) events at the Oakland Athletic League Championships.
Peters was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 30th best cornerback in his class. He committed to play college football at the University of Washington in January 2011.
Peters was redshirted as a freshman in 2011. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Peters started eight of 13 games, recording 44 tackles, three interceptions and a touchdown. As a sophomore in 2013, he started 12 of 13 games and had five interceptions, 55 tackles and one sack. As a junior in 2014, Peters was suspended one game for a "sideline tantrum". He was later dismissed from the team in November for disciplinary issues.
On December 16, 2014, Peters announced his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft. He attended the NFL Scouting Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On April 2, 2015, Peters participated at Washington's Pro Day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills. He attended pre-draft visits with the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and the Houston Texans. He also attended a private workout with the Atlanta Falcons. NFL draft analysts projected Peters would be a first or second round pick. He was ranked as the second best cornerback in the draft by Sports Illustrated. ESPN draft analyst Mike Mayock and NFL analyst Charles Davis ranked Peters as the fourth best cornerback prospect.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Peters in the first round (18th overall) of the 2015 NFL draft. He was the third cornerback drafted and the first of two cornerbacks drafted by the Chiefs in 2015, along with third-round pick (98th overall) Steven Nelson. He became the highest defensive back drafted from Washington since Dana Hall (18th overall) in 1992.
On May 15, 2015, the Chiefs signed Peters to a fully guaranteed four–year, $9.58 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $5.23 million.
Throughout training camp, Peters competed to be a starting cornerback against Phillip Gaines, Marcus Cooper, and Steven Nelson under defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. Head coach Andy Reid named Peters a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, alongside Phillip Gaines. He began the season as the No. 1 starting cornerback after Sean Smith received a three-game suspension following his arrest for a DUI.
On September 15, 2015, Peters made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start in the Kansas City Chiefs' season-opener at the Houston Texans and recorded seven combined tackles (five solo), made three pass deflections, and had his first career interception on his first career snap, picking off a pass by Brian Hoyer to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins during a 27–20 victory. The following week, Peters recorded five solo tackles, made a season-high four pass deflections, and scored his first career touchdown on a pick-six during a 31–24 loss against the Denver Broncos in Week 2. He intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Peyton Manning, thrown to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, and returned it 55–yards to score his first career touchdown. In Week 5, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and deflected one pass as the Chiefs lost 18–17 to the Chicago Bears. The following week, he recorded six solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Teddy Bridgewater to wide receiver Mike Wallace during a 10–16 loss at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. On November 15, 2015, Peters made two solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Peyton Manning to tight end Vernon Davis on the opening drive of a 29–13 victory at the Denver Broncos. His interception was the first of five by the Chiefs in Week 10, with four of them thrown by Peyton Manning to set a record for his career. In Week 13, he recorded six solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Derek Carr to wide receiver Amari Cooper late in the fourth quarter to help secure a 34–20 win at the Oakland Raiders. On December 20, 2015, Peters made three combined tackles (two solo), four pass deflections, set a season-high with two interceptions by Jimmy Clausen, and returned the second for a 90–yard touchdown during a 34–14 at the Baltimore Ravens. On December 22, 2015, it was announced that Peters was one of three rookies voted to the 2016 Pro Bowl. He started in all 16 games and finished with a total of 60 combined tackles (53 solo), 26 pass deflections, eight interceptions, two touchdowns, and a forced fumble. He set career-highs in tackles, pass deflections, and interceptions. His eight interceptions tied Bengals free safety Reggie Nelson for the most interceptions in 2015.
His impressive rookie season in 2015 earned him multiple honors, including second-team All-Pro, AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and was a finalist for the Pepsi Rookie of the Year award. He became the fourth player in franchise history to earn defensive rookie of the year, joining Dale Carter, Bill Maas, and Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas. He was ranked 65th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
The Kansas City Chiefs finished the 2015 NFL season second in the AFC West with an 11–5 record to earn a wildcard berth. On January 9, 2016, Peters started in his first career playoff appearance and made four combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Brian Hoyer during a 30–0 victory at the Houston Texans during the AFC Wildcard Game. On January 16, 2016, he recorded five combined tackles (four solo) and deflected two passes during a 27–20 loss at the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round.
He entered training camp slated as the No. 1 starting cornerback following the departure of Sean Smith. Head coach Andy Reid named Peters the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Phillip Gaines.
On September 18, 2016, Peters recorded seven combined tackles (two solo), set a season-high with four pass deflections, and intercepted two passes thrown by Brock Osweiler during a 19–12 loss at the Houston Texans. In Week 3, he recorded one solo tackle, made two pass deflections, and made two interceptions on pass attempts by Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Chiefs defeated the New York Jets 24–3. In Week 9, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and recovered a fumble as the Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 19–14. He was inactive as the Chiefs lost 17–19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11 after suffering a hip pointer the previous week. In Week 17, he recorded three combined tackles (two solo), made two pass deflections, and had his sixth interception of the season on a pass by Philip Rivers to wide receiver Dontrelle Inman during a 37–27 victory at the San Diego Chargers. He finished the season with a total of 45 combined tackles (35 solo), 20 passes defensed, six interceptions, and a forced fumble in 15 games and 15 starts. Peters was named to his second career and consecutive Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro. He was also ranked 32nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. Peters' six interceptions tied for second in the league in 2016.