Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson is coming up on his 33rd birthday and he’s preparing for his 13th season in the National Football League. The level of commitment that Peterson has shown since joining the Steelers this offseason, both in terms of his own play as well as mentoring the young defenders around him, takes a lot of mental effort. When Peterson appeared on Thursday’s episode of the Jim Rome Show, Rome asked Peterson why he still continues to play hard and seems full of energy.
“Honestly, I want a Super Bowl,” Peterson said. “I don’t have that yet. I came up close, 2015 with the Arizona Cardinals, but that’s my why.”
The 2015 Cardinals were one of the best teams in the entire league. They finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and in first place in the NFC West. They even had a first-round bye. They defeated the Green Bay Packers in overtime before losing to the Carolina Panthers in the conference title game. That team had connections to the Steelers beyond Peterson. Arizona’s head coach was Bruce Arians, who was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 2004-2006 then offensive coordinator from 2007-20211. Also, Arizona had a rookie edge rusher by the name of Markus Golden, who signed with the Steelers this offseason.
Coming two wins away from winning the Super Bowl can either demoralize a person or motivate them. For Peterson, it’s apparent that it’s spurred him on to continue working hard. He had already established himself as a quality corner in the league, but he’s continued to make an impact wherever he’s gone. He’s played in 184 games with 34 interceptions, 591 total tackles, 111 passes defended, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Peterson also hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, Peterson played in all 17 games and recorded five interceptions, 15 passes defended, and 60 total tackles. Now with the Steelers, he’s shown a commitment to working with the defenders around him, particularly rookie corners Joey Porter Jr. and Corey Trice Jr. Part of why Peterson continues to work hard is that he feels that “there’s still room for improvement” in his own game. Hard to believe that for a player who at one point had a spot in eight straight Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro three times. He was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.
Yet it’s the final prize that every player dreams of holding. It eluded Peterson while he was in Arizona and while he was with the Vikings. No matter the personal accolades and the drive to improve, it’s that one trophy he hasn’t lifted that drives him to get up early and work just as hard, if not harder, than when he was a rookie.
“The ultimate ‘why’ is trying to hoist that Lombardi,” he said.
