Patrick Peterson - Pro Football Rumors

Patrick Peterson Seeking Cards Extension

November 29th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Still attached to a contract he signed in 2014, Patrick Peterson has not enjoyed a strong 2019. The All-Pro cornerback will head into the offseason after a season marred by a six-game PED suspension, but he will be ready to discuss another Cardinals extension.

The Cardinals, though, have not approached the 29-year-old defender about a third deal, per Bob McManamon of the Arizona Republic. Peterson has not set a deadline for those potential talks. Arizona has resisted other teams’ interest in acquiring Peterson via trade, and Steve Keim has said he wants the three-time All-Pro to retire as a Cardinal.

After requesting a trade last year, Peterson has backtracked and hopes to play his entire career in Arizona. This points to extension talks commencing at some point next year.

“When that time presents itself, I’ll be ready,” Peterson said of an extension. “But at the end of the day, I have to make sure I’m playing the best football that I can so those talks can happen and I can get what I deserve.”

While Peterson signed his five-year, $70MM deal more than five years ago, the cornerback market has not changed much since. Peterson remains the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid corner, with his $14MM-AAV price trailing Xavien Howard‘s top-market deal by barely $1MM.

With Peterson finishing out a suspension-shortened season, and rating as Pro Football Focus’ No. 88 corner entering Week 13, negotiations between he and the Cards will be a bit different next year. Jalen Ramsey‘s Rams talks figure to overshadow other corners’ discussions as well, with the recently traded standout poised to change the stagnant market at this position.

Cardinals Place Toth On NFI; Activate P2

October 19th, 2019 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Patrick Peterson is back with the Cardinals following his suspension. In order to make room for him, the club has placed offensive lineman Brett Toth on the non-football injury list.

The P2 saga in Arizona has been a long and complicated one. Peterson has clashed with team officials numerous times over the years and the big-money extension he received hasn’t truly pacified things. Then, this year, he was hit with a six-game suspension for PEDs. He’s back now and – if GM Steve Keim is to be believed – he’ll be staying put, even after the NFL’s trade deadline.

Toth, meanwhile, joined the Cardinals after being claimed off waivers from the Eagles in early September. He only recently received permission from the Army to join the NFL, but he’ll have to put his pro dreams on hold once again as he deals with an unknown illness.

Despite the chaos, Peterson remains one of the best in the game at the cornerback position. He finished 2018 with 54 stops, five passes defended, and two interceptions. For his work last year, Pro Football Focus ranked the eight-time Pro Bowler No. 5 out of 112 eligible CBs. Peterson is under club control through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he signed with the club back in 2014.

Cardinals Won’t Trade Patrick Peterson

October 18th, 2019 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals will not trade Patrick Peterson. At least, according to GM Steve Keim.

“We are not trading Patrick Peterson,” Keim said (via Kevin Zimmerman of AZ Sports). “Why trade a player in his prime at one of the hardest positions to find for a maybe or a couple maybes? Love what Pat brings to the locker room, love what he brings to the field.”

Keim appears to be referencing the Jaguars, who recently traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams for draft capital. Opinions are split on the Jaguars’ decision, but most at least feel that the Jaguars made the best of a rocky situation with their star cornerback.

The Cardinals’ relationship with Peterson has been roughly as rocky. Peterson has clashed on numerous occasions with team brass and his PED suspension this year did not help matters.

Keim might be telling the truth, but he might also be preserving leverage. We’ll find out soon enough – the NFL’s trade deadline is just around the corner.

Trade Rumors: Williams, P2, OBJ

October 13th, 2019 at 10:46am CST by Rory Parks

With the trade deadline coming up at the end of the month, and with NFL general managers expecting an active trade season, let’s round up a few of the biggest trade rumors floating around this morning:

Multiple teams have inquired about the availability of Jets DE Leonard Williams, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. New York is reportedly not interested in dealing Williams, who is in the last year of his rookie contract, at this time, but that could change. Indeed, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv says multiple sources expect GM Joe Douglas to be extremely active over the next few weeks. Schefter suggests that a third- and fifth-round draft choice may be what it takes for an interested club to land Williams, and Kelechi Osemele, Trumaine Johnson, and even Le’Veon Bell could also be on the move (though the last we heard, there were no trade talks surrounding Bell).
In recent weeks, the Cardinals have gotten calls from at least three teams interested in trading for cornerback Patrick Peterson, per Schefter. Peterson is currently serving a six-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy, but we heard several weeks ago that Arizona has no interest in dealing him. According to Schefter, that stance has not changed, as the Cardinals have turned away all potential suitors.
Although you won’t find it on PFR, there was apparently a report this past week suggesting that the Browns were listening to offers for receiver Odell Beckham Jr. However, Cleveland GM John Dorsey called that report “fake news,” per Schefter. Dorsey said he has not taken any trade calls on OBJ and has no interest in doing so.
If the Bills beat the Dolphins next week to improve to 5-1, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic expects Buffalo GM Brandon Beane to work the phones in search of a wide receiver, defensive tackle, and/or offensive lineman.

Cardinals’ GM: “We’re Not Trading Patrick Peterson”

September 20th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Rory Parks

Reports yesterday suggested that the Cardinals had inquired on star Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who recently requested a trade. It’s difficult to know the extent of Arizona’s interest in Ramsey, but those rumors did reignite some chatter around the Cardinals’ own stud CB, Patrick Peterson.

Peterson, who is currently serving a six-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy, requested a trade in 2018, though he walked back that request in January 2019. But in April, reports of tension between P2 and the team surfaced again, and then Peterson was hit with the suspension.

Although the three-time First Team All-Pro said in July that he’d like to be a Cardinal for life, Arizona’s reported interest in Ramsey led to some speculation as to whether the Cards would part with Peterson. However, Arizona GM Steve Keim said during a radio appearance Friday morning that Peterson is not going anywhere.

“We’re not trading Pat and that’s something we’ve been very consistent with,” Keim said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). “You always ask yourself, does a move make us better or worse? To lose someone like Pat Peterson would make us worse.”

Due to tampering considerations, Keim would not address the Ramsey situation. However, he said that the team’s decision to restructure Chandler Jones‘ contract had nothing to do with an impending move, as some believed. The club’s cap space had shrunk to less than $1MM, and the restructure was just about creating flexibility.

NFC Notes: Jarrett, Peterson, Seahawks

July 15th, 2019 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The $42.5MM guarantee in Grady Jarrett‘s contract is essentially a full guarantee. While the Falcons defensive tackle officially received $38MM guaranteed at signing, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports he also has a $4.5MM injury guarantee that turns into a full guarantee on the third day of the 2020 league year. Jarrett is almost certain to receive all $42.5MM. The $38MM figure represents the second-highest full guarantee a team has given to an interior defender, with Jarrett’s deal trailing only Aaron Donald‘s ($50MM fully guaranteed) in that department. So, the zero-time Pro Bowler (but well-regarded lineman) made out well on deadline Monday.

Part of that guaranteed amount is an $18MM signing bonus, with Florio adding Jarrett will earn $6.5MM in base salary in 2019 and $10.5MM in 2020. Of Jarrett’s 2021 and ’22 salaries, only $4.5MM is guaranteed. His 2022 $16.5MM salary is non-guaranteed, and the structure of this contract looks like it will make it fairly easy for the Falcons to cut bait after 2020 if the investment proves poor.

Here is the latest from around the NFC, shifting from the Falcons to teams that do not open camp this week:

Part of the reason Patrick Peterson requested a trade last season stemmed from the changes the Cardinals were making on defense. Their switch from their long-used 3-4 look to a 4-3 did not go well, and Peterson was not happy with how far the team fell since the 2015 NFC championship game. “I mean, honestly, what happened last year, it was a lot of turn of events,” Peterson said during a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview (via the Arizona Republic). “Especially being one game removed from going to the Super Bowl, and getting new coaches, getting new staff, a new scheme, when you’re so used to playing in a 3-4, and you felt that it was good for the players that you had on your roster. So, it was just a lot of whirlwind going on last year and I was just frustrated.” Fully backtracking on last year’s trade demand, the eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback recently said he wants to be a Cardinal for life.
The Jarrett deal looks like good news for Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Reed’s representation will be pointing to Jarrett’s deal as the floor for Reed, Joel Corry of CBS Sports said in the piece. The Seahawks have identified Reed as an extension candidate after his breakout 10.5-sack 2018. Reed statistically outperformed Jarrett in 2018, registering 24 quarterback hits in addition to his sack total. While Corry adds he does not believe Reed will sign for what Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones does, he adds the longer the Seahawks wait on this front the more a 2020 Reed deal — with a Jones pact factored into the equation — could cost them.
Bobby Wagner‘s deal will likely take precedence over Reed’s, Condotta continues. The Seahawks have more than $23MM in 2019 cap space and, as of mid-July, stand to hold more than $75MM in 2020. They do not have a bevy of pricey defender contracts on their 2020 cap sheet, with both Wagner and Reed in walk years, so the team will have to determine how it wants to allocate resources. Wagner is still believed to be targeting more money than C.J. Mosley received ($17MM AAV) on the open market.

Patrick Peterson Wants To Be With Cardinals “For Life”

July 12th, 2019 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

It has been a strange saga between the Cardinals and Patrick Peterson, but the star now says that he wants to stay with the team “for life.” In an interview with SiriusXM, Peterson said he was willing to bury the hatchet with the club and remain for years to come.

“Yeah, I would love to be a Cardinal for life, but things happen,” he said. “Hell, something could change next month. The things happen not only in football, but in the world in general. So, I would love to be a Cardinal for life. I would love to be one of those guys to bring this organization its first championship.”

Things, in fact, have changed frequently with Peterson. P2 demanded a trade in 2018, though he apologized for his outspokenness in January and said he’s in Arizona “to stay.” But, tensions resurfaced in April amidst speculation that the cornerback wanted out yet again. Then, in May, he was slapped with a six-game suspension for PEDs.

Peterson says much of his dissatisfaction came from the arrival of Steve Wilks and the major overhaul made to the defense. Now, with Kliff Kingsbury in charge, he seems happier.

“So it was just a lot of whirlwind going on last year,” Peterson said. “And I was just frustrated. I love Arizona. I definitely want to be there. Just that time of the year, last year, like I said, it was just very, very tough to deal with. But as being one of the leaders, I definitely felt it shouldn’t have gone that way. But people upstairs can trade players and try to shop players around whenever they need to. So I didn’t see what was wrong with me asking for a trade at the time. So it kind of works both ways.

“But right now I’m in a very, very happy place with the team. All of this is behind us right now, obviously. And something new just came up with me being suspended the first six games. But you know, I’m a man. I have to lick my wounds and be able to move forward from all of this. I have moved forward, and I’m ready to see what the future has for me.”

Latest On Patrick Peterson, Cardinals

May 18th, 2019 at 12:56pm CST by Ben Levine

It wasn’t the best week for Patrick Peterson. After being slapped with a six-game ban from the NFL, reports emerged that the cornerback wanted to restructure his contract in an attempt the lessen the financial blow from the suspension (the Cardinals ultimately said no). Predictably, the veteran came out and apologized for his actions.

“Definitely, definitely sorry for what happened today,” Peterson told ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Thursday (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “For the most part, I think you guys understand my character and also understand my commitment on and off the field and also to my teammates and also the Arizona Cardinals organization. That’s why this is obviously very, very hard for me, because I’ve never been in this situation before and never wanted to have my name attached to anything like this. But I’m looking to move forward, put this behind me.

“I want to thank my family, my teammates, the coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals’ community and also the organization. I’m looking forward to getting back Week Seven. I’m going to try to keep the smile on my face and getting back to being the best DB in the league.”

The suspension, a result of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, will ultimately cost $3.88MM and impact Peterson’s remaining guarantees. The cornerback believed he could save at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, but the Cardinals had no real incentive to oblige. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the front office will save that $3.88MM in both cap space and cap. Furthermore, his 2019 salary is no longer guaranteed; if the organization wants to move on from the cornerback following his suspension, they can easily do so.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Peterson. The 28-year-old requested a trade back in October, but he proceeded to start all 16 games for the league-worst Cardinals. After recommitting himself to the organization, reports emerged last month that the player was not pleased with his team.

Despite all the turmoil, Peterson continued to perform. He finished last season with 54 tackles, five passes defended and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus ranked Peterson fifth among 112 eligible cornerback candidates. Peterson is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club back in 2014.

Latest On Cardinals, Patrick Peterson

May 17th, 2019 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

On Thursday, the NFL handed Patrick Peterson a six-game ban for PEDs. Before that, the Cardinals cornerback had yet another flareup with team brass. The latest issue arose when Peterson asked GM Steve Keim about restructuring his contract to make more cash available immediately and Keim said no, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.

Peterson, it seems, wanted to lessen his financial losses in advance of his suspension. The cornerback believed that he would have saved at least $2MM by adjusting his deal, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM writes.

The cornerback knew the six-game ban was coming before it was announced on Thursday, but it’s not clear whether the Cardinals had advanced knowledge of the suspension. Either way, it’s not likely that the league office would have approved Peterson’s suggested workaround.

Peterson’s suspension will cost him $3.88MM in wages.

NFL Suspends Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson

May 16th, 2019 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The ban, a result of a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, will cost $3.88MM and impact P2’s remaining guarantees. Peterson has already dropped his appeal, so this suspension is already set in stone.

The six-game ban will keep Peterson off the field until Oct. 20, when the Cardinals face the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That means Peterson, one of the league’s very best cornerbacks, will be sidelined for contests against the Lions, Ravens, Panthers, Seahawks, Bengals, and Falcons.

This is a crushing blow to the Cardinals, who are looking to rebound from a league-worst 3-13 record in 2018. It’s also another weird twist in the ongoing saga between the franchise and Peterson.

Peterson demanded a trade in 2018, though he apologized for his outspokenness in January and said he’s in Arizona “to stay.” But, tensions resurfaced in April amidst speculation that the cornerback wanted out yet again.

Typically, first-time PED violations result in a four-game suspension, but there are instances in which a first-time offender can be banned for additional games. For example, if a PED violation is found through means other than a drug test (known as a “non-analytical positive” in the NFL’s bylaws), a player can be suspended for six games.

Last year, Peterson extended his games played/started streak to 128 and tallied two interceptions, five pass deflections, one sack, and 54 tackles. He earned his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl nod and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 ranked CB in the NFL, edging out Jason McCourty, Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, Prince Amukamara, and Jonathan Joseph. Only Stephon Gilmore, Desmond King II, Chris Harris Jr., and Levi Wallace placed ahead of him.

Furthermore, opposing quarterbacks avoided him like the plague. Peterson was the nearest defender to the targeted receiver on just 10.4% of the coverage snaps he played last season, the fourth-lowest rate among cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps (h/t Seth Walder of ESPN.com, on Twitter).

Peterson, a three-time first-team All Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, is signed through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he inked with the club in 2014. He’s slated to carry cap numbers of $11.9MM and $13.184MM in each of the next two seasons.

Without Peterson, the Cardinals are left with a CB group headlined by David Amerson, Robert Alford, second-round pick Byron Murphy, and Tramaine Brock.