Patrick Peterson has been one of the NFL’s best defensive backs since entering the league in 2011. He has been with the Arizona Cardinals for his entire career.
Peterson is a three-time First-Team All-Pro, receiving the honor in 2011, 2013, and 2015.
The 30-year old is fresh off a five-year, $70 million deal with the team and is not ruling off coming back to play for the team in 2021.
According to ESPN Arizona Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss, the Cardinals are one of three teams Peterson would prefer to play for. The other teams on his list have yet to be confirmed.
In a new piece on NFL.com on Friday, senior analyst Gil Brandt attempted to identify team fits for 10 boom-or-bust free agent candidates this offseason.
Brandt pegged the 49ers as the one to sign the Arizona Cardinals star cornerback Patrick Peterson.
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Here was his full justification:
The boom scenario: Peterson consistently provides the same type of sticky man-to-man coverage that enabled him to hold Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf to one catch for 6 yards on four targets, per Next Gen Stats, in Arizona’s Week 7 overtime win over Seattle. (Metcalf finished the game with two total catches for 23 yards.)
The bust scenario: In his 11th NFL season, Peterson’s speed drops to the point that he becomes a liability rather than an asset when matched against the other team’s WR1.
Who should take the risk? San Francisco 49ers. With four cornerbacks (Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon) headed for free agency, San Francisco will need fresh blood in the secondary. As the Niners did with Sherman when he left Seattle, they can still get good football and veteran leadership out of Peterson, who will surely enjoy having two chances per year to stick it to the Cardinals, should Arizona decide not to shell out dough to keep him.
This past season, he intercepted three passes (dropped two others) and broke up only four additional passes. He gave up a career-worst six touchdowns and 8.6 yards per target.
