CB Patrick Peterson Leaves Vikings to Join the Steelers
Josh Frey
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Patrick Peterson has listed a number of teams that he would like to play for in 2023, and he never ruled out the possibility of returning to the Vikings as well. However, when it’s all said and done, it appears that the soon-to-be 33-year-old cornerback has made a decision on his next team, and it’s a choice that came a bit out of left field. As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Peterson appears set to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2023 season.
Peterson joins the Steelers after a strong bounce-back season in 2022, his second with the Vikings. During this past season, he recorded 66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 15 pass defenses, and 5 interceptions, being one of the few bright spots on the Vikings defense.
The veteran CB joined the Vikings in 2021 after spending the first 10 NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals where he burst onto the scene as a lockdown cornerback. Now, he joins the Steelers just hours after Pittsburgh lost Cam Sutton to the Detroit Lions.
Peterson’s contract is reportedly over two years, as reported by Adam Schefter, but we are still waiting on the financial breakdown of the contract.
As for Minnesota, this departure solidifies the fact that Minnesota needs to find a new veteran presence at cornerback in free agency, particularly after they cut Cam Dantzler last week. Currently, they have four CBs on their roster: Kalon Barnes, Andrew Booth, Akayleb Evans, and Tay Gowan. The four of them have a combined three starts in the NFL.
Perhaps part of the Vikings plan includes retaining free agent Duke Shelley, who burst onto the scene in 2022 as a starter down the stretch of the season when Booth, Dantzler, and Evans all suffered injuries.
A name to keep an eye on for Minnesota seems to be Sean Murphy-Bunting. Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported on the Vikings Happy Hour podcast that the Vikings have interest in the Buccaneers free agent.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.