An undrafted player, Jason Peters became an elite offensive lineman for two full decades in the NFL. The Hall of Fame is calling for this Hog.
Among all the undrafted players who delivered epic NFL careers, Jason Peters of Arkansas stands at the top of the list. Few men have authored a more dramatic and sustained rise to professional heights from an undrafted position. Brock Purdy might be the best Mr. Irrelevant of all time, but he did get drafted. Jason Peters did not in 2004. He then proceeded to play two full decades of NFL football as a lockdown offensive lineman. He played through the 2024 season and will one day be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Jason Peters' career was so good, so strong, so consistent, and so luminous that it deserved a Super Bowl. Many great NFL players never get that chance. Peters toiled in the trenches for more than a decade without reward, but in the 2017 NFL season -- 13 years into his pro journey -- he finally became part of an operation in which all the pieces fit. Peters helped backup quarterback Nick Foles -- thrown into service when starter Carson Wentz got hurt -- lead the Eagles to the promised land.
Philadelphia's divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons was a rough ride. Foles was not at his best -- understandably -- and the game was a slog. That's when the Philadelphia defense needed to support the offense and come up with the defining plays which preserved a very close and difficult 15-10 victory.
That game proved to be the turning point for the Eagles as they pivoted to their backup quarterback in the middle of the playoffs. Once Philly cleared the Atlanta hurdle (the Falcons were defening NFC champions, remember, having reached Super Bowl LI the season before), everyone on the team seemed to breathe more easily.
The Eagles dominated the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, with Peters and the offense rolling in a 38-7 blowout. The stage was set: The Eagles would go to Super Bowl LII against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
In that Super Bowl in Minneapolis, the Philly Special became part of football lore. Peters and the other Eagle offensive linemen needed to hold their blocks so that the trick-play touchdown pass to Foles could be completed. The Eagles needed occasional help from their defense in that game against New England, but not that much. The Philadelphia offense and Foles exceeded expectations by a large margin in a 41-33 shootout victory, giving the Eagles and Jason Peters their first Super Bowl championship.
Jason Peters was the embodiment of the reliable NFL offensive lineman from 2004 through 2024. Not bad for an undrafted player ... and he had the Super Bowl championship to make his (soon-to-be) Hall of Fame career complete.