So, here’s a thing. Patrick Peterson is coming back to Arizona, but not to play — he’s hanging up his cleats, I guess. Found that out from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who always seems to know these things first. Peterson wants to stick around and retire as a Cardinal, the team that decided to draft him fifth overall back in the day. It’s like coming full circle or something.
Peterson’s journey — wow, what a ride. Thirteen years, and it started right here in Arizona in 2011. Ten seasons with them, moved on to Vikings, then there was some time with the Steelers in 2023… but nada in 2024. And now this planned retirement gig.
He wasn’t just any player, mind you. Peterson made it to eight Pro Bowls straight off, starting his rookie year—2011 till 2018. Man, that’s some serious streak. One of those guys you’d call a ‘lock-down cornerback,’ basically making any QB think twice about throwing the ball his way. Talk about being left on an island — in a good way.
Okay, let’s switch gears — Peterson snagged 36 interceptions during his stint. Some of those games? Absolutely electric. He even ran back two for touchdowns, and let’s not forget his rookie year’s punt returns: 195 for 1,816 yards and four touchdowns. Not too shabby, huh?
A bit of drama came in 2018. Peterson asked the Cardinals to trade him. Two days later, he reversed. Said he was frustrated. Seriously, who hasn’t been there? Anyway, he decided to stick it out in Arizona till his contract ended in 2020 and then… see ya, off to Minnesota as a free agent. But, the drama didn’t just disappear with his exit.
I remember, kind of, how things stirred up post a Vikings-Cardinals game in 2022. Peterson had some choice words about Arizona — some emails on his chair back in 2020 really ticked him off, I reckon. And talk about ghosting — he hadn’t spoken to the former Cardinals GM, Steve Keim, since, well, forever. The relationships there, not the rosiest.
So that’s the scoop, or more like a rambly version of it. I, for one, am curious to see how Peterson’s story unfolds from here – sans football.
