Patrick Peterson could still re-sign with Arizona Cardinals
By Jim Koch
This past Monday, a report surfaced that centered around Patrick Peterson’s future with the Arizona Cardinals. The latest scuttlebutt indicated that the eight-time Pro Bowler’s career with the franchise that drafted him was over. Fans learned that Peterson, Arizona’s first-round draft pick back in 2011, would be playing elsewhere when the 2021 campaign got underway in September.
On Tuesday morning, Peterson emphatically denied that the news was true. During the “All Things Covered” podcast he does with former teammate Bryant McFadden, the prospective free agent intimated that nothing has been decided. As far as Peterson was concerned, remaining with the Cardinals was still a possibility.
“Me and the team haven’t talked about contracts,” Peterson stated during his show. “I don’t know where (the reporter) got his insight from, but that was a dirty rumor.”
Peterson will be one of the top cover guys available when free agency gets underway next month. The 30-year old’s asking price will likely determine if Arizona is going to have interest in bringing the veteran back to the nest. The Cards have a free agent list that’s a mile long, and will have limited salary-cap space to work with this offseason.
Back in 2014, Peterson signed a five-year, $70.05 million deal with the Cardinals that’s set to expire. This past season, the 6’1, 203 pounder started all 16 games during his 10th campaign with the organization. Peterson totaled 61 tackles (the most since his rookie year), three interceptions and eight passes defensed for the Redbirds.
Over the past few years, Peterson’s name has been brought up frequently in trade talks. Back in 2018, it was reported that the former LSU product wanted out, and had asked management to deal him to another team. McFadden, Peterson’s cousin, tweeted at the time that the shutdown corner wanted to be shipped to the New Orleans Saints.
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Peterson appears to have had a change of heart since his trade demands were not met. In fact, the Florida native has indicated that he’d like to finish his career with the Cards. Whether the front office feels the same about Peterson is a question that will need to be answered in the coming weeks.