Patrick Peterson wasn’t about to waste a second chance to join the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After negotiating a contract last March only to return to the Minnesota Vikings, the 32-year-old cornerback didn’t hesitate to sign a two-year deal with the Steelers once he hit free agency again this offseason.
“I wanted to be part of this pedigree and identity this Steelers team brings to the NFL,” Peterson said Thursday after his signing became official.
In Peterson, the Steelers are getting a former first-round draft pick who has been named a first-team All-Pro cornerback three times and selected to the Pro Bowl on eight occasions.
After losing starting cornerback Cameron Sutton — their longest-tenured player in the secondary — to the Detroit Lions on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, the Steelers acted quickly to acquire Peterson in spite of his age.
“I wasn’t surprised because we almost made something happen last year,” Peterson said. “This go-round, it was a different situation losing a key component to the secondary. They felt like they needed a guy who had those same attributes — a smart, tough football player.”
The Peterson signing was a rare move by the organization to pursue a free agent so close to the end of his NFL career but one he believes was worth it for the Steelers and himself.
“It’s not secret I’m not 28 anymore,” Peterson said. “I’ll be 33 in July, but my body feels great. I want to be in position to help my team and be in position to help me be successful. I can’t run behind these young receivers down-in and down-out. It’s about putting me in the right position, my teammates and mixing and matching coverages to make it hard for opposing defenses.”
Peterson pointed to his second season with the Vikings when he totaled five interceptions and 15 pass breakups — his highest totals in those categories since 2012. He was the only player in the league with as many interceptions, pass breakups and three tackles for loss, and he leads all active players with 34 career picks.
Peterson also showed his durability last season by starting all 17 regular-season games for the Vikings. It was the 10th time in his 12 seasons he didn’t miss a start.
Although he may not have the blazing speed he did when he was selected fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 out of LSU, Peterson said he’s making up for it with his smarts and being in position to make plays happen.
“It was having an opportunity to see the ball,” Peterson said. “Early in my career, I was solely a man guy, being in the receiver’s face, disrupting the timing of the receiver and the quarterback at the line of scrimmage.
“I can do it all. I haven’t been in the league (going on) 13 years because I was good at just one thing. I was good at that, so that’s what they wanted me to do. But I can do whatever is asked of me.”
With the Steelers, Peterson will join a position group that returns veterans Levi Wallace, who finished the 2022 season as a starter, Ahkello Witherspoon and slot corner Arthur Maulet. The Steelers are expected to pursue a cornerback in the NFL Draft with one of the three picks they hold over the first two rounds.
Peterson is ready to play the role of mentor if needed.
“I’m the oldest of five. It’s in my nature,” he said. “They haven’t expressed any of that with me, but that comes with me. No one has to tell me, ‘We think you should help this guy out.’ It’s what I’ve done so far in my career. I feel like I have so much I can share on to the next generation. Why would I want to hold onto that? I want to continue to see guys play as long as they want, accomplish the goals they set out for.”
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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