Jason Peters is in a familiar position.
Training camp is near and Peters is without a job. Much like he was a year ago, Peters is waiting for a call from the right chance to continue his NFL career.
“I’m looking for an up-and-coming offensive line [on a] good team or a playoff team,” Peters told SiriusXM NFL Radio in an interview posted Wednesday. “Either way is good for me because I can teach or I can sit back and listen and learn from other veterans of the game, too.”
That leaves Peters’ window of possibilities wide open. Most every team can sell itself as an up-and-coming club at this time of year, and the list of squads eyeing the postseason is quite long. After all, everyone is 0-0. Optimism is plentiful.
For Peters, it’s another go-around as a veteran tackle who is available to step in and play immediately, even if he isn’t the premier player he once was. In 2021, such an opportunity arose when the Bears lost rookie tackle Teven Jenkins to back surgery for a considerable amount of time. Peters signed in mid-August and spent most of his 15 games playing left tackle for a struggling Bears team that had plenty of issues up front.
Surprisingly, the six-time All-Pro (two first-team selections, four second-team nods) and nine-time Pro Bowler enjoyed a bit of a bounce-back season, going from a tackle whose best days looked to be behind him to a serviceable blocker. Now, he’s staying in shape with the hopes his 2021 performance will be enough to convince a team in need to sign him before the start of the season.
“I don’t have a time frame,” Peters said. “Whenever the opportunity comes, I am going to give it one more run at it. Try to get me another ring or pass on some knowledge to some of the young kids, up-and-coming. But I don’t have a time frame on when I’m gonna get signed. Last year was like two-and-a-half weeks into training camp. Whenever the time comes, I’ll be ready.
