Steelers All 90: Patrick Peterson Ready to Pass the Torch to Next Generation

Upon signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Patrick Peterson accepted a larger role than what meets the eye. While Peterson is likely to start at one of the starting cornerback positions, the 32-year-old already began his other duty as a member of the team which is the role of a mentor.

After losing starting cornerback Cam Sutton to the Detroit Lions in free agency, the Steelers targeted in on the three-time All-Pro, not only because of his strong 2022 season when he recorded five interceptions on a 13-4 Minnesota Vikings team but also for his leadership and willingness to share his immense knowledge to the younger generation of players.

Younger cornerbacks such as Porter and Cory Trice Jr. soaked in as much of Peterson’s knowledge as they could during the team’s mandatory minicamp and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of Peterson’s time in Pittsburgh. Peterson recognized that his time in the NFL is waning and said that he wants to pass the “torch” to somebody before he goes.

“He’s a young guy that wants the knowledge, wants the information,” Peterson said of Porter Jr. “When you have a young guy like that, you just can’t help but to pour into them. I don’t know how many years I have left. He’s a rookie, at some point the torch is going to be passed to him. I just want to continue to help him find his way, find his resume.”

While Peterson’s future after this contract is unknown, he showed that he can still play at the highest level last season as he recorded one of the most memorable moments of the 2022 season. Peterson intercepted two of Josh Allen’s passes to help the Vikings comeback and defeat the Buffalo Bills in an overtime thriller last season.

Since joining the Steelers, Peterson actually hinted at wanting to play longer into the future than he originally antcipated beause of Mike Tomlin’s willingness to explore other parts of the veteran’s game.

“I am a ball player. You can plug me in anywhere and I can make it work,” Peterson said. “To finally come in with Coach Tomlin and have him explore other attributes of my game, it’s just going make me, probably, want to play even longer.”

Part of that is going to be taking on Cam Sutton’s old role as a do-it-all cornerback. For the last two seasons, Sutton was the Steelers’ starting outside cornerback, but on passing downs with extra cornerbacks in the game, he moved down into the slot. Peterson is going to be doing that with the Steelers this season, starting alongside Levi Wallace and bringing his young understudies on in three-corner packages to move him inside.

“Pat has been open to doing a lot of different things and wearing a lot of hats,” secondary coach Grady Brown said. “Coach Tomlin let us know when we first signed him that was going to happen. When you have versatility, what I’ve learned, we can not let the quarterbacks be comfortable pre-snap. We need to affect them pre-snap. When you have guys that can move around there’s some anxiety for the quarterback, that’s what we want.”

20 • Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU
6-foot-1, 198 pounds, 32 years old, 13th Season

Acquired: The Steelers signed Peterson to a two-year, $14 million contract on March 13, 2023 after his contract with the Minnesota Vikings expired. This move came after the Steelers lost starting cornerback Cam Sutton in free agency to the Detroit Lions.

Last season: Peterson spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Minnesota after playing his first ten years in Arizona. In 2022, the former All-Pro cornerback played in and started all 17 regular season games for the Vikings. Peterson finished with his second highest interception total of his entire career with five interceptions. This included two interceptions against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a Week 10 overtime victory for the Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson runs up field after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Career: The Arizona Cardinals drafted Peterson with the fifth overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft after being widely regarded as the best defender in that draft class. During his rookie season in Arizona, Peterson tied the NFL record for punt return touchdowns in a season with four and was later named to the Pro-Bowl as a returner. Peterson also received All-Pro First Team honors as a rookie.

Peterson made the Pro Bowl in his first eight seasons, ranging from 2011 to 2018 and was named to the All-Pro team three times (2011, 2013, 2015).

In 2019, Peterson missed his first NFL game and eventually any Pro Bowl honors after being suspended the first six games of the year due to PED violations. Peterson went on to play one more season in Arizona before signing a one-year deal with Minnesota prior to the 2021 season. Peterson was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, signifying his excellence during the apex of his career.

In 2021, Peterson started the first six games of the season for the Vikings before injuring his hamstring and being placed on the injured reserve. This marked the first time that Peterson would miss a game due to injury.

College: Peterson enetered college as one of the hottest names after being named a consensus five-star prospect in high school. Peterson played in 13 games as a true freshman and recorded his first colligiate interception against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

By his junior season at LSU, Peterson was being viewed as one of the best players in the country and was named to multiple different preseason watchlists for major awards. Peterson intercepted four passes in his 2010 campaign and went on to win the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Jim Thorpe Award, and the Jack Tatum Award for his stellar play. He also was named a unaminous All-American in 2010.

Salary cap and future: Peterson will count for $4.225 million against the Steelers’ 2023 salary cap. He is signed through the end of the 2024 season, with a $3.85 million salary, and $3 million in deferred signing bonus due to him in 2024. He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.

The rest of the 90: