Left tackle Peters out for season, likely forever
Long time left tackle Jason Peters has likely played his last NFL game. The 38-year-old will have season-ending surgery on his toe, coach Doug Pederson said Friday.
Peters had been moved to right guard before this latest injury. He will be replaced by Nate Herbig against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Peters has been dealing with numerous injuries over the last four seasons. He joined the Eagles in 2009, after spending his first five seasons in Buffalo, the first as a tight end.
Once Peters converted to tackle, he went on to make nine Pro Bowls and become a two-time All-Pro.
He had been re-signed before this season started to play right guard after Brandon Brooks tore an Achilles tendon. But he moved back to left tackle when Andre Dillard suffered a season-ending injury. But he struggled in that role and was moved back to right guard in favor of third-year man Jordan Mailata.
Once the finest left tackles in the game, Peters will be a prime Hall of Fame candidate as soon as he’s eligible.
“He’s done everything he can for this football team,” Pederson said. “I appreciate Jason Peters a lot. He means a lot to me personally, not only on the field but off the field. He wanted to be out there with his teammates for the remainder of the season.”
Pederson said he has not heard from the veteran whether he wants to play
beyond this year. But all signs point to Peters’ playing career being over. He will turn 39 next month.
Peters missed the second half of the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl season and came back to play all 16 games the following year. But he missed three full games and parts of others last season and will end this season having played just eight games.
It would be just about impossible to project Peters being back with the Eagles for another year in 2021. Mailata’s development has been outstanding. The Eagles, who drafted Dillard in the first round last year, expect Brooks and Lane Johnson to be healthy next season as well.