Sooner or later, Patrick Peterson may well find himself back in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform. That is the assessment of Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who commented on the team’s slot cornerback position.
With the eight-game suspension of Cameron Sutton, the Steelers are in a bind. They need to find someone to fill the void, but if nobody emerges, they may call on Peterson. And that is assuming they even choose to wait that long to find out.
“If by mid-August none of these guys are standing out, I think we’re back to square one with the Patrick Peterson talk”, Fittipaldo said on 93.7 The Fan on Friday with Joe Starkey. “It was a topic all throughout March and April because he was let go in mid-March. Hasn’t signed anywhere else yet, but I think a guy of that stature… would be a nice add for half a season.
“To be honest with you, I don’t think you’re going to have to pay all that much money. You might not get him for the vet minimum, but I think he could probably be had for $3-4 million a year”.
Frankly, I’m guessing most of those reading had a gag reflex in response to the notion of the Steelers paying millions more for Patrick Peterson. They signed him last year to a two-year, $14 million contract and cut him halfway through the deal.
If they thought that Peterson was still worth a few million, I’m guessing they would have asked him to take a pay cut rather than outright release him. As you might recall, Peterson said they never even asked him about taking less money. He was prepared for that conversation and was blindsided when they told him they were releasing him.
Now 34 years old, Patrick Peterson is a future Hall of Famer, but a former Pro Bowler. His best days are long behind him as a professional football player, but are his worst days still better than the Steelers’ current alternatives in the slot?
Without Sutton, or Peterson, the Steelers are mixing rookie free agent Beanie Bishop Jr. with Josiah Scott. Perhaps they want to see if either or both of them can handle the job, but they have Peterson’s number. Presumably, they are gambling, trusting he will be available, but he hasn’t had much outside interest.
The question of reuniting with Patrick Peterson is a multilayered one. The first question is simple: do you need help? If you do need help, then you have to ask, can Peterson help you? If the answers to those questions are yes, then you must ask, at what price is he worth his services? And at what price is he willing to offer his services?
Peterson has made plenty of money throughout his career, but is he willing to play for the veteran minimum? For a player of his experience, he would earn $1,210,000, plus a $167,500 signing bonus. With the Veteran Salary Benefit, he would count $1,152,500 against the cap while earning $1,377,500. Will he get off the couch for that? Or is he content to ride off into the sunset, with $110 million already in the bank?
