Before becoming one of the top cornerbacks in the country at the University of Washington and a multi-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro in the NFL, Marcus Peters was a star at McClymonds High School, leading the team to its first-ever perfect season back in 2010 while also winning Most Valuable Player of the Oakland Athletic League after recording seven interceptions and six kickoff/punt return touchdowns.

Now, the former first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs is set to start his new career as the head coach of his alma mater.

And the 33-year-old certainly has some big shoes to fill, as the man he’s replacing is none other than his own father, Michael Peters, who spent 33 years on the McClymonds staff. Thirteen of those were spent as the head coach, and he ultimately led the team to four state championships, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018.

The younger Peters, who took his last NFL snap in 2023, has spent the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant to his father.

Marcus Peters remains a big “what if” story for the Chiefs

As mentioned, Peters is still just 33 years old, and given the talent he possessed, it’s hard not to wonder what it would be like if he were still playing, whether in Kansas City or elsewhere.

Taken by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2015 draft at No. 18 overall, the former Huskie made an immediate impact, recording a league-high eight interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, en route to earning a trip to the Pro Bowl, a Second-Team All-Pro selection, and Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was just the fourth player in franchise history to win DROY, joining nose tackle Bill Maas (1984), linebacker Derrick Thomas (1989), and cornerback Dale Carter (1992).

Peters tacked on another six picks in 2016, earning a First-Team All-Pro nod, and then another five in 2017. But after reports of several spats with the front office, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, with Kansas City receiving a fourth-round pick in that year’s draft and a second-rounder in 2019, which were used to select safeties Armani Watts and Juan Thornhill, respectively.

Peters was again traded during the 2019 campaign to the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he remained through the 2022 season before ending his NFL career in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders, who released him after 12 games.

Peters remains one of the bigger “what if” stories for the Chiefs in recent years. Their defense obviously did just fine without him, but it certainly would have been interesting to see what he could have achieved had he remained with the team during the dynasty.