Woods played in 128 games in 10 seasons with the Chiefs since joining the club as its first-round pick (28th overall) in the ’96 NFL Draft.

“It is always difficult to say goodbye to good football players and very fine people,” Peterson commented. “Jerome Woods certainly fits into both of those categories. He was our number one draft choice in ’96 and went on to serve as a starter for us for seven seasons. Jerome was a consummate professional both on and off the field. While injuries certainly curtailed his contributions in recent years, he earned a Pro Bowl berth following the 2003 season after missing all of 2002. We wish Jerome Woods and his family the very best in the future and we thank him for his contributions to the Kansas City Chiefs organization. As everyone knows, we drafted two young safeties this year, Bernard Pollard and Jarrod Page, who will give us added depth behind our starters Sammy Knight and Greg Wesley.”