1 week Ago By AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
A former franchise star will be back in the Arizona Cardinals’ building next week.No, it does not appear as if Patrick Peterson is returning to the defensive backfield that he dominated from 2011-20. But he will be in Arizona to retire, ESPN reported, with the franchise that defined his NFL career.
The reunion is set for Monday, April 14, the Cardinals announced, when Peterson will participate in a news conference at the Cardinals' Tempe facility.The Cardinals selected the cornerback fifth overall out of LSU in 2011, the highest pick that they have used on a defensive player this century. He immediately rewarded their investment, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors as a rookie.
Over the next eight years, he made eight Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro three times. By the end of the decade, he was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.His tenure in Arizona, though, ended on an unpleasant note, raising questions over whether this reunion would ever happen.
In 2019, he was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.He departed after the 2020 season, with plenty of criticism for the organization. At the time, he wrote on Instagram, “My boys told me to watch out for the snakes in the long grass.
” When he next played against the Cardinals as a member of the Vikings in 2022, he delivered an impassioned message to reporters after the game, saying that then-general manager Steve Keim hadn’t reached out to him in two years. Keim was replaced by Monti Ossenfort in 2023.After two years in Minnesota, Peterson spent the 2023 season with the Steelers before he was released last March.
He has not played since.This winter, Peterson began publicly mending fences with his former organization. He posted a picture on Instagram with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, writing, “It was great catching up Mr.
B. #seaRED.”This week, he hinted at the upcoming reunion, again via Instagram.
“(There) was nothing like taking flight with the bird gang on Sundays. See you next week @azcardinals.”Now, the two sides will be reunited once again, even if not on the field.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Patrick Peterson set to retire with Arizona Cardinals: ESPN.
