There was a time when Jason Peters almost quit football. It was the summer of 1996 when he was just 14—a freshman in high school. After slipping off a box-jumping and hitting his head during practice, he could feel a bump slowing forming. Thinking he would pass out because of the pain, he desperately searched for a trainer, for a nurse. Anyone.

“If you walk off this field, you’re done,” his coach warned. But the young lad walked off, anyway. Who needed football? For the next two years, he stuck to his resolve. The Queen City High School athlete didn’t play as a freshman and as a sophomore. But by the time he was a junior, the very coach who gave him a tough time begged him to return. “We need you.”

Peters gave in.

He proceeded to become one of the best players on the team, whom no one could block. No one wanted to tackle him. Fast forward to 2000, he arrived in Arkansas. When the player didn’t get to play (he was on the bench for an entire season), he decided to transfer, but coach Houston Nutt successfully changed his mind. What Nutt didn’t tell him was his position would be changed to TE. However, when he recorded four touchdowns in an early-season practice, he thought things could work.

In his junior year, he performed well enough to earn an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. But his journey ahead was not about to be simple. In 2004, he entered the NFL as an undrafted free but planned the perfect comeback as a dominant offensive tackle. Today, he had been in the NFL for 19 years—a stark contrast to what an assistant coach told him during his rookie year in Buffalo. “You’ll never play as long as I played!” the coach had screamed, but Peters no longer even remembers the coach’s name.

Jason Peters, affectionately known as ‘The Bodyguard’ for his relentless protection on the field, has been the cornerstone of offensive lines for teams like the Bills, Eagles, Bears, Cowboys, and Seahawks. The 43-year-old is now expected to retire from the league.

The Seahawks’ general manager, John Schneider, told the reporters at the combine about his retirement and so, ESPN’s Senior NFL Writer, Adam Schefter, hopped on his official ‘X’ handle and broke the news.

“Nine-time Pro-Bowl OT Jason Peters is expected to retire after playing 19 NFL seasons and 248 NFL games, Seahawks GM John Schneider told reporters at the combine. The former undrafted free agent went on to win a Super Bowl and pave a path leading to Canton,” Schefter wrote in his tweet.

Then, there was the Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman (Eagles), who stated during the Combine: “Man, great, great player. That trade that we made, I was the personnel director at the time, the guy is just a freak of all freaks. They called him ‘The Franchise’ for a reason.”

“You felt every Sunday going into a game that you had no worries no matter who the pass rusher was. Elite athlete. Elite teammate. World Champion. In my mind, no doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer. Just incredible career. One of the many players that I don’t think I’d be standing up here if it wasn’t for the success of guys like that. Just really thankful for Jason Peters.”

After going undrafted in the 2004 NFL draft, Peters was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bills. Later, the OT went on to play for five seasons with the team before heading to Philly. And let’s just say that the guy spent the major part of his career with the Eagles. He played for 11 seasons with the team and was part of the Super Bowl campaign during the 2017 season.

In simple terms, Peters didn’t just play in the NFL—he owned the trenches for nearly two decades. He started 221 games out of 248 and even snagged two career receptions (because why not?).

Peters is now ready to wrap up his NFL career as a nine-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, and, of course, as a Super Bowl champ. Oh, and let’s not forget—he made it to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, which basically means he was one of the best in his era. As he is on his way out, his Seahawks QB—yes, we are talking about Geno Smith—has left fans wanting an update.

What is Geno Smith up to?

After wrapping up the 2024 season with 10-7 and missing out on the playoffs, Geno Smith is gearing up to enter the final year of his contract. Following his final game of the season, the QB declared that he wanted to stay in Seattle. BUT! He also made it clear that if the front office doesn’t deem him worthy of a contract extension, he would be open to leave.

“There’s a lot of young guys on the offensive line, there’s a lot of young guys on this team and this team is heading in the right direction… This team is on its way—and that’s with or without me. I got a bright future. I think you all can see that. And I believe we have a bright future together,” Smith said in the post-game press conference.

Now, here’s the deal: When asked about Smith’s future with the team, the general manager gave a non-committal answer. “We expect him to be our guy. But we want to do what’s right, too.” Uh-huh! It’s kinda giving, we’re confident, but we’re also keeping our options open vibe.

But let’s be real—Smith just had the best season in his career. The QB recorded 4,320 yards, racked up 21 touchdowns, and even rushed for 272 yards.

That’s enough for him to look for a contract extension, right? But no, looks like the Seahawks have other plans. Besides, the buzz is that Geno Smith might be traded to the Raiders. Let that sink in for a second. Raiders’ HC Pete Carroll is off to the NFL Combine and happened to share a flight with the Seahawks’ HC, Mike McDonald, and GM John Schneider.

If reports are to be believed, Carroll had an hour-long chat with McDonald and Schneider on the plane. Sure, they might be killing time, considering the long fight to Indianapolis. However, there are speculations that Caroll was talking about a potential Geno Smith trade with the Seahawks.

That’s some juicy news. Carroll probably wants Geno Smith to play with the Raiders. But it’s unlikely for the team to consider a trade publicly. At the end of the day, Smith’s future with the team is still uncertain.