Patrick Peterson is Back
Josh Frey
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It’s been a rumor for some time now, but Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson is officially back with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2022 season. Peterson returns on what is being reported as a one-year deal in an offseason where the Vikings have had a desperate need at cornerback to start opposite of third-year player Cameron Dantzler.
During the announcement Peterson expressed that it “just felt right” to be with this group of guys for this season. We don’t know the full details on the money he will receive yet, but Peterson did say that he didn’t necessarily want a bank-breaking deal, rather just one that was “respectable” for a player of his caliber and reputation. Evidently, the Vikings were able to best provide that for him.
The 2021 Minnesota Vikings were a group that played competitive football in 2021, but ultimately fell short in too many of their one-possession games. Peterson believes that 2022 can be different if the unit sharpens things up and doesn’t make as many, as he called them, “bone-headed” mistakes. The Vikings lost an NFL-high 8 one-possession games during 2021. It certainly seems that a couple plays here and there could have changed things.
The announcement also included a timeline for Peterson’s remaining years as Chris Tomasson included in the tweet above. It seems that the veteran cornerback plans on playing three more seasons, meaning he would retire following the 2024 season. That would be his age-34 season.
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Peterson’s return certainly gives the Vikings help in the secondary, but they still ought to approach the cornerback position as a need during the 2022 NFL draft. The 31-year-old vet weighed in on this too, saying on his podcast All Things Covered that he believes that Minnesota will draft a CB in the first round this April. The specific player that he mentioned? LSU star Derek Stingley Jr. It will be interesting to see if they heed the advice from the former Tiger.