Patrick Peterson's illustrious career came to an official conclusion Monday in the place it began: Arizona.
Peterson returned to the desert and the franchise that made him the fifth-overall pick out of LSU in 2011 to hang up his cleats once and for all. Unlike some other recent retirees, Peterson isn't leaving the door cracked open to a return. He knows he's finished and would prefer to use his experience on camera, not on a field.
"I wanna, you know, get behind the camera and be able to express my thoughts, input, being able to get the fans and viewers something that they may not know about the game," Peterson explained during a celebratory news conference on Monday. "So, that's what I want to do because I love the game still, dearly, and I still can play, but I do not want to play. So, let's just get that out there -- I can still play, but I do not want to play. I'm having a good time right now, enjoying my time with the family, golfing with my buddies, still traveling."
Peterson last walked onto an NFL field in the 2023 season as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers but spent the majority of his 13-year professional career with the Cardinals, proving himself as a shutdown corner with incredible athleticism, a nose for the ball and a knack for making big plays. In his 10 years with the Cardinals, he earned eight Pro Bowl trips, three first-team All-Pro selections and landed on the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade team for the 2010s.
When folks considered elite defensive backs in the 2010s, Peterson always came to mind immediately. He left Arizona after 10 seasons with 28 interceptions, 91 passes defensed and 499 tackles, rattling off an incredible streak of regular-season starts that began with his very first NFL game in 2011 and lasted through the 2018 season before missing six contests in 2019. With 154 games played as a Cardinal -- plus three more starts in the postseason -- Peterson knew there was only one place to go to finish his NFL journey.
"It was a no-brainer," Peterson said. "You know, there was a lot of things said and, you know, it wasn't the greatest departure, but at the end of the day this is where my legacy is -- this is where my legacy started. Me and (Cardinals owner) Mr. (Michael) Bidwill had an opportunity to have conversations leading up to this and, like I said, it was a no-brainer because being able to achieve some of the things that I achieved as an Arizona Cardinal, only so many people had the opportunity to do that, like going to eight straight Pro Bowls, a three-time All-Pro one time as a specialist -- being named to the 2010 All-Decade team. So, my career is here. It lives here. So, like I said, it was a no-brainer for me to come back here and retire a Cardinal where it all started."
With the Cardinals rebuilding and Peterson looking to play meaningful football in his final few seasons, he left Arizona for a two-year stint in Minnesota, appearing in 30 regular-season games and adding six interceptions and 20 passes defensed as a veteran defender in the Vikings' secondary. He enjoyed a rejuvenated 2022 campaign, racking up five of his six picks in that season as part of a Vikings team that made its name on winning close games, finishing 13-4 in coach Kevin O'Connell's first season.
With gas still left in his tank, Peterson made one more move in his career, heading to the AFC North to play for the Steelers in 2023, an experience that informed him on how he might proceed in his future.
Peterson finished his final season with two interceptions, but the effects of aging were visible on the tape. He posted the second-worst coverage grade of his career in 2023 -- the lone season spent in Pittsburgh -- and his second-worst overall defensive grade in the last decade, according to Pro Football Focus. Such an admission doesn't diminish a single ounce of what Peterson accomplished in his career, however, he knew his time in the NFL was finished, especially after he went unsigned in 2024.
Peterson has no issue with how his career ended. He's happy to retire, emphasizing how much he's enjoying spending time away from the game. As he said, he believes he could still play in the NFL, but also knows he doesn't want to if he can't meet his standard.
"This is a young man's game now," Peterson said. "You see all these grays on my chin now. Quite frankly, at my position, I'm not accepted anymore, but I can live with that because, at the end of the day, I had a great 13-year career. There's no regrets.
"Me and my wife, we talked about this ever since I wasn't able to be picked up last year. I'm perfectly fine with my decision. I'm very, very happy where I'm at in life and my career. My cement is dry now. So, now it's in God's hands if I did enough to be where I really want to be at the end of my career, and that's football heaven."
Fortunately, he already set an elite standard in Arizona years ago. They'll honor him accordingly by hanging his No. 21 in the rafters in the future in honor of a career that could be destined for a final stop in Canton.
