Player Spotlight: CB Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson played his college ball at Louisiana State University(LSU). He was the fifth pick overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 draft.
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On July 29, 2014, Peterson was signed to a five-year contract extension with the Cardinals. The contract worth $70 million with $48 million guaranteed alongside a $15.3 million signing bonus. This was the highest paid contract to a cornerback in the NFL.
Following the huge signing, Peterson went on to have probably the worst season in his 4 NFL seasons. He had just 3 interceptions all season, 2 of which came in the same game against the Rams.
While his numbers are almost average to an average corner, just about everyone, especially Cardinals fans and front office were expecting a lot more from Peterson especially after the huge check he got from the Cardinals.
Peterson took a lot of heat all season from not just reporters and analysts, but also other players around the league, specifically Richard Sherman.
Sherman claims to be the best corner in the league, and is not shy about showing it.
When interviewed by Bob Costas of NBC about Patrick Peterson, he answered with “At any point, if I gave up that many touchdowns, I think I would be benched on our team. We have a level of accountability and that’s what we strive for. You can’t give up big plays like that and still play.”
Jan 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) before the 2014 NFC Wild Card playoff football game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
After the 2014 season came to an end, on April 7th, 2015, Patrick Peterson came out to the public about his battle with diabetes.
I want to take a moment to address the media reports this morning regarding my health. While I did have (cont) http://t.co/2UvNHrO4pZ
— Patrick Peterson /P2 (@P2) April 7, 2015
He kept it short and simple, and seems to still remain quiet about it, and more focussed on how he’s going to come back even stronger for the 2015 season.
In recent article per AZCardinals.com, Peterson has been anxious to maybe be a part-time punt returner as he misses his days of being full-time punt returner.
In his rookie season, he recorded 4 punt-return touchdowns, and it’s no question that he’s itching to record his fifth.Arians has yet to rule it completely out, so there is a possibility.
We can only hope that Peterson will return to the player he was once 2-3 years ago, or maybe even more improved. We will have to wait until September to find out! It only makes the countdown to the 2015 Cardinals season even more exciting!