Patrick Peterson has only played for three teams in his 13-year NFL career, but he’s been in entirely different situations with each team. He was selected fifth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals as an impact playmaker on defense, and he was just that for 10 seasons. Then he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 as a veteran leader.
You could have thought the same thing when he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2023 season. You’d be right, in a way, due to the changes at the cornerback position. However, to hear Peterson tell Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, he didn’t see himself needing to be a big-time leader on the defense. In fact, it was his better half who reminded him that he could take a different approach.
“My wife always tells me, when I first came here, you have the opportunity to just have fun,” Peterson said. “You don’t have to stress yourself out about this, that, and the other. Now you have the opportunity to go out and have fun.”
That doesn’t mean Peterson hasn’t had plenty of fun in the first 12 years of his career. Is it entirely possible to put up big numbers while being some level of miserable? Sure, but to continue to do so for as long as he is? That’s a stretch.
As for numbers, Peterson has plenty of them. Through 187 career games, Peterson has 35 interceptions with two returned for touchdowns, 115 passes defended, two forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, four sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, and 619 total tackles.
However, there’s also no question that Peterson has faced a lot of pressure at his previous stops. Every first-round pick receives a lot of scrutiny, but a cornerback selected fifth overall? That’s nearly unheard of in the NFL. In fact, since Peterson was drafted in 2011, only five cornerbacks have been drafted with a top-five pick: Jalen Ramsey in 2016 (fifth by the Jacksonville Jaguars,) Denzel Ward in 2018 (fourth by the Cleveland Browns,) Derek Stingley Jr. (third by the Houston Texans), Sauce Gardner (fourth by the New York Jets) in 2022, and Devon Witherspoon in 2023 (fifth by the Seattle Seahawks.)
Peterson delivered on that lofty draft slot as well. As a rookie, he had two interceptions, 13 passes defended, two fumble recoveries, a sack, one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, and 64 total tackles en route to a Pro Bowl berth and a first-team All-Pro nod. He would make the Pro Bowl the next seven seasons with two more first-team All-Pro accolades as well.
Then Peterson left Arizona after the 2020 season and was signed as a veteran leader by the Vikings.
“Bringing me as an older player and wanting me to take control of the room and help out…” Peterson said. “And then the following year, having coach Kevin O’Connell wanting me to pretty much do that, have that same role.”
When Peterson signed with Pittsburgh last March, he knew he was going to have a different role. There was no leadership void on the defense that he needed to step into, nor was he the star rookie with a world of expectations put on him.
“Coming here, this team has pretty much been set, they pretty much have their guys in place,” Peterson said. “For me, I never really looked to go to another team to take on that role. I always was myself, wherever I’ve been. And I was just honored enough and privileged enough to receive the ‘C’ on my chest. Being here with Cam [Heyward,] T.J. [Watt,] Minkah [Fitzpatrick,] these guys been here four or five years. These guys understand the culture, these guys understand what it’s supposed to look like.”
While Peterson might be one of the oldest players on the entire roster, he can be a veteran presence without needing to also be the leadership voice in the locker room. Instead, Peterson can focus on enjoying his time, imparting wisdom to players like CB Joey Porter Jr., and doing everything he can to finally win that elusive Super Bowl title.
