Raiders bench Marcus Peters and waive Roderic Teamer after an arrest.
Henderson, Nevada Marcus Peters, a nine-year veteran who was benched before halftime of the Las Vegas Raiders’ 31-17 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, was dismissed by the team on Monday.
Additionally, two days after being detained and accused of DUI and speeding, the team released safety Roderic Teamer.
During his weekly press conference on Monday, Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce stated, “Yeah, it’s always difficult when you have to release a player.” “I am not looking forward to that talk. Detest it. Detest it. It’s not very good. I don’t like how I feel.
“During the whole process, MP and I had several really nice talks. When he initially arrived, I was the linebacker coach here. I admire him as a person both on and off the pitch. I admire his performance in this game. It’s a business, yet he acts professionally. Everybody is going to get cut. There will be firings among us all. I mean, you get employed to get fired? He and I both realize that, then. We all detest this aspect of business for ourselves.
The previous team of general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels signed 30-year-old Peters to a $3 million, one-year free agency contract on July 24. The contract included a $1.165 million guaranteed and a roster bonus of $60,000 each game active. Peters was expected to lead a youthful and impressionable secondary.
Though Peters’ eighth career interception returned for a touchdown was a 75-yard pick-six against the Detroit Lions on October 30, he was more well-known this season for lost interceptions and absurdly missed tackles.
Following yet another botched tackle against the Chiefs on Sunday, Peters was carted off the field and had a heated discussion with Pierce on the sidelines.
Two-time first-team All-Pro Peters ran for the locker room at halftime and departed before the media was let in after the game, having spent the second half on the sidelines with a beanie.
Peters has 33 interceptions in 116 games played, 115 of which he has started. After intercepting a league-high eight passes and returning two for touchdowns, he was named the Chiefs’ 2015 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Kansas City selected him out of Washington in the first round, with pick No. 18 overall.
Peters was replaced at cornerback against the Chiefs by Jack Jones, who was claimed off waivers from the New England Patriots two weeks ago.
Teamer, meanwhile, was arrested Saturday night on his way to the team hotel, per a source, and charged with “DUI of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance” and a “basic speeding violation — 21-30 miles per hour over posted speed limit” Saturday night, per Las Vegas Justice Court records.
Both charges were listed as misdemeanors.
Teamer, 26, had just been activated off injured reserve that day after having appeared in six games, last playing on Oct. 15. He served an NFL-mandated four-game suspension in 2020 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Pierce said the message to the team was “just making smart decisions” in the wake of Teamer being waived.
“I think it goes for all of us,” Pierce said. “The ultimate respect for Teamer as a person, got to know him well, I had a lot of good conversations with him. I wish him the best, sometimes it’s wrong timing, bad timing, and this is one of those cases. Decided to move forward.
“But I think all our guys need to understand this — whatever you do on and off the field affects the decision that’s going to be made in this building, and we’re going to do the best to protect the brand, the shield and the Raiders organization.”