Jason Peters’ exceptional playing career has come to a close, but his NFL journey as a whole still has a way to go.
On Tuesday, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that Peters will retire and join the team’s front office, primarily assisting vice president of player affairs Maurice Kelly. The Seahawks later confirmed that he would serve as a veteran mentor.
A former undrafted free agent from Arkansas, Peters, 43, forged an outstanding career spanning almost two decades. He played with the Buffalo Bills (2004-08), Philadelphia Eagles (2009-20), Chicago Bears (2021), Dallas Cowboys (2022) and finally the Seahawks (2023). He was on Seattled’s practice squad in 2024, but a quiet move to the practice squad injured reserve marked the end of his career.
Despite battling numerous injuries, including a torn Achilles that cost him the entire 2012 season and a torn ACL that held him out of Super Bowl LII, Peters still started 221 games and provided mostly excellent blocking throughout that time. He finishes his career with nine Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro nods, a spot on the NFL 2010s All-Decade team and potentially a future spot in the Hall of Fame.
“The guy is just a freak of all freaks,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told reporters. “You felt every Sunday going into a game you had no worries. … In my mind, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
As an undrafted free agent, Peters had to fight tooth and nail to make it in the NFL. He may not have been a physical specimen like some of his peers, but his work ethic and versatility helped him become one of the best linemen of the past 20 years.
