Each player drafted into the NFL knows the team making the pick is investing in their talent as an athlete. The pressure intensifies even more when selected No. 5 overall.
Patrick Peterson made the investment pay off for the Arizona Cardinals. The eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection signed a one-day contract with the Cardinals to retire as a part of the franchise that drafted him to end a 13-year NFL career.
Peterson was drafted out of LSU in 2011 in a first-round class featuring Von Miller, Julio Jones, J.J. Watt and Tyron Smith. His decision to retire as a Cardinal was a “no-brainer,” after short stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Peterson didn’t leave the Cardinals on the best terms following the 2020 season. He had requested a trade in 2018 but decided to play out the deal, which ended in the 2020 offseason.
But Peterson said that he and Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill resolved those differences over lunch following the Super Bowl in February.
“There were a lot of things said, and it wasn’t the greatest departure, but at the end of the day, this is where my legacy is,” Peterson said. “This is where my legacy started.”
Peterson remained adamant about the main reason he made his name as a shutdown corner in the league — his competitive nature. And during the announcement, he made sure there would be no misunderstandings about where he made his legacy and how.
“A fierce competitor,” Peterson said when asked how he wants to be remembered. “A guy who not only brought joy to the game but had the opportunity and the ability to uplift his teammates. And I believe that was something that I was able to do. … So, I always took pride in my example and doing everything the right way.
“I was a study junkie. I wanted every single press rep I had, every single press rep that Julio Jones was going up against, or it was Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green, or whoever it was. I wanted every single rep so I could be the best that I could be when it was time to step on that field on Sunday.”
Peterson’s mentality helped him quickly burst onto the scene in Arizona, earning Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro selections as a rookie.
He also made highlight plays as a return specialist. Peterson recorded NFL-record-tying four punt return touchdowns in his rookie season, including his iconic 99-yard punt return for a touchdown in overtime against the St. Louis Rams.
At the time, the score ranked as one of his most memorable plays from his career, but kicker Jay Feely helped orchestrate a lot of Peterson’s punt returns in his rookie season.
“I just got to find No. 4 (on the sideline),” Peterson said. “He’ll be over there with his hat on. So, I get down to the 80. But before that play, Jay was like, ‘Man, Donnie (Jones) is going to kick this ball in the middle of the field, but set it up right and just, I’m telling you, nobody’s going to touch you up in the middle of the field.’
“Did that. First of all, barely caught the ball. Slip, catch it with my fingertips. Did exactly what Jay said. Started out right, got back to the middle field. No one touched me. Jay was the unsung hero of all my punt return touchdowns.”
Peterson’s stellar play over the years in Arizona earned him a selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade team of the 2010s.
In 154 games with the Cardinals, which earned him that nod, he recorded 28 interceptions, 91 passes defended, 499 tackles and four sacks.
While he accomplished great things on the field, his most impactful contributions and achievements may come off the field. He started Patrick Peterson’s Foundation for Success to help families throughout Arizona, something he still holds close to his heart.
“Starting my Patrick Peterson Foundation for Success, which targeted Title I schools (which are federally funded schools serving low-income families) in the Phoenix area, I felt literacy was something that this state needed,” Peterson said. “They were at the bottom of the totem pole when I was here, and by the time I left, they started trending in the right direction.
“I believe they’re ranked No. 31 in all of the states around our country. So that was something I was most proud of.”
Retirement isn’t easy for athletes. Peterson hopes to enter the media world now that his playing days are over. He wants to help the Cardinals win a championship, but he also wants to be in front of a camera and express his thoughts about the game he loved so dearly.
“I still can play, but I do not want to play,” Peterson said, joking. “I’m having a good time right now, enjoying my time with the family, golfing with the buddies. … I had a great 13-year career. There’s no regrets.”
Peterson shouted out multiple people in the Cardinals team meeting room in his opening monologue. He thanked his family, ownership, former teammates and members of the Cardinal media team.
“Michael, have you discussed 21 going up in the rafters?” one reporter asked Bidwill.
“Oh,” a surprised Peterson responded.
Laughter filled the room, but the two said they planned to discuss placing his number in the Cardinals’ Ring of Honor soon. Still, Peterson knows it’s not his turn. Another Cardinals legend still has to get his up in the rafters first.
“I know I cannot go before Fitzy (Larry Fitzgerald),” Peterson said. “I did tell him (Bidwill) that I do not want to go before Fitzy, so whenever that happens, it’ll be after him.”