Adam Peters

Last updated

Adam Peters
Adam Peters (53890035062).jpg
Peters in 2024
Washington Commanders
Position: General manager
Personal information
Born: (1979-05-24) May 24, 1979 (age 45)
Mountain View, California, U.S.
Career information
High school: Monta Vista (Cupertino, California)
College:
Career history
As an executive:
Executive profile at Pro Football Reference
Career highlights and awards

Frederick Adam Peters (born May 24, 1979) is an American professional football executive who is the general manager (GM) for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). His NFL career began as a scout with the New England Patriots in 2003, spending six seasons with them before joining the Denver Broncos in 2009. He worked as the Broncos' college scouting director for three seasons prior to joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, working closely with general manager John Lynch as the team's vice president of player personnel and later assistant GM before being named Commanders GM in 2024. Peters has been a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams during his career. He played college football as a tight end at West Valley College and as a defensive end at UCLA.

Contents

Early life

Frederick Adam Peters was born on May 24, 1979, in Mountain View, California, and raised in nearby Cupertino. [1] He attended Monta Vista High School, earning all-conference honors in football (tight end) and baseball (left fielder and first baseman) before enrolling at West Valley College, a junior college in Saratoga, California, in 1997. [1] He was a tight end and team captain for their football team, earning two All-Coast Conference honors before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles in 1999 to play for the UCLA Bruins as a reserve defensive end. [1] [2] Peters decided to stop playing football midway through his time at UCLA, citing teammates such as DeShaun Foster as being "bigger, stronger, faster, and better" than him in everything. [3] He graduated with a psychology degree in 2002, working as a graduate assistant in football operations with the Bruins as a way to remain in the sport. [1] [3]

Career

Early scouting and executive roles

Peters' career began following a visit by New England Patriots executives Scott Pioli and Jason Licht to UCLA in 2002. Peters, substituting for his boss who was out of town, provided them film and other information on the school's NFL draft prospects. [3] Pioli hired him as a scout in 2003 after being impressed by his football acumen, with Peters working in a department that included future general managers in Thomas Dimitroff, Bob Quinn, Jon Robinson, and Nick Caserio. [4] [5] The Patriots made four AFC Championship Game appearances and won Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX during his tenure. He joined the Denver Broncos in 2009 when Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniels was named their head coach. [6] Peters worked as a regional and national scout prior to being promoted to assistant director of college scouting in July 2014. [7] He was further promoted to director of college scouting in 2016, with Denver appearing in Super Bowl XLVIII and winning Super Bowl 50 during his tenure.

In January 2017, Peters was named vice president of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers. [8] [9] He was the first hire made by 49ers general manager (GM) John Lynch, who had no prior front office experience; they had met after Lynch attended Broncos draft meetings as a guest the previous year. [10] [11] Peters was named assistant GM in February 2021; [12] he assisted in the selection of later-round draft picks such as George Kittle, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Brock Purdy who helped the 49ers appear in four NFC Championship Games and Super Bowls LIV and LVIII. [10] [13] [14]

Washington Commanders

Peters on the sideline of a Commanders game, 2024 Preseason Week 1- Commanders at Jets - 53917729473.jpg
Peters on the sideline of a Commanders game, 2024

Peters was hired as general manager of the Washington Commanders in January 2024. [8] He overhauled the team's front office and player roster in the offseason, headlined by hiring Dan Quinn as head coach and selecting 2023 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels second overall in the 2024 NFL draft. [15] [16] Other moves that offseason included hiring Detroit Lions executives Lance Newmark as assistant GM and Brandon Sosna as senior VP of football operations, [17] [18] longtime NFL executive Dave Gardi as senior vice president of football initiatives, [19] and former Carolina Panthers GM Scott Fitterer as a personnel executive. [20]

Personal life

Peters is married to Jennifer and has two daughters. [8] He grew up a fan of the 49ers, with former tight end Brent Jones inspiring him to play the position in high school. [21]

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References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "Player Bio: Adam Peters". uclabruins.com. UCLA Bruins. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
    2. ↑ "Former Viking Adam Peters heads to Miami with 49ers for Super Bowl LIV". athletics.westvalley.edu. West Valley College. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
    3. 1 2 3 Lombardi, David (March 5, 2018). "Fast-rising Adam Peters, a key John Lynch lieutenant, is right in his element with the 49ers" . The Athletic . Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
    4. ↑ Manning, Bryan (January 13, 2024). "Former NFL GM Scott Pioli excited for Commanders, Adam Peters". Commanders Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    5. ↑ Reiss, Mike (April 28, 2006). "Eye on the process". Boston.com . Archived from the original on January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
    6. ↑ Paige, Woody (January 19, 2010). "Nolan right guy, unjust end". The Denver Post . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    7. ↑ Klis, Mike (July 20, 2014). "Prominent Bronco players may start training camp on physically unable to perform list". The Denver Post . Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024. National scout Adam Peters received the title of assistant director of college scouting.
    8. 1 2 3 Selby, Zach (January 15, 2024). "Commanders hire Adam Peters as general manager". Commanders.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    9. ↑ "49ers Hire Adam Peters as VP of Player Personnel". 49ers.com. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
    10. 1 2 Selby, Zach (January 17, 2024). "'A tireless worker': John Lynch explains why Adam Peters is ready to succeed as Commanders GM". Commanders.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
    11. ↑ Branch, Eric (February 9, 2017). "Bond with Elway led to Lynch's first hire with 49ers". SFGate . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    12. ↑ DaSilva, Cameron (February 19, 2021). "49ers promote Adam Peters to assistant general manager". Yahoo Sports . Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
    13. ↑ Kawakami, Tim (January 12, 2023). "John Lynch on Adam Peters, the most surprising thing about Brock Purdy and the 49ers' stability" . The Athletic . Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
    14. ↑ Edwards, Josh (February 6, 2024). "2024 Super Bowl: How NFC champion San Francisco 49ers helped build their team through the draft". CBS Sports . Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
    15. ↑ Vacchiano, Ralph (May 8, 2024). "Taking Command: How Adam Peters is reshaping football in Washington". FOX Sports . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
    16. ↑ Keim, John (May 3, 2024). "Why Commanders selected Jayden Daniels No. 2 in NFL draft". ESPN. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
    17. ↑ Kownack, Bobby. "Commanders hiring Lions senior director of player personnel Lance Newmark as assistant GM". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
    18. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy (May 19, 2024). "Commanders to hire Lions executive Brandon Sosna as senior VP of football operations". NFL.com. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
    19. ↑ "Washington Commanders name Dave Gardi Senior Vice President of Football Initiatives". NFL.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
    20. ↑ Shook, Nick (July 15, 2024). "Commanders hiring ex-Panthers GM Scott Fitterer as personnel executive". NFL.com. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
    21. ↑ Branch, Eric (May 27, 2017). "Die-hard fan in 49ers front office grew up in the dynasty days". SFGate . Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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