Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson (20) takes the field against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.
The purple team is quite popular after a 5-0 start — and rightfully so.
The Minnesota Vikings are seventh in line exiting Week 6 per Super Bowl odds (+1200), notably outpacing teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. And according to former Viking Patrick Peterson’s lips, he’d like to be a part of the playoff push.
Peterson joined The Zach Gelb Show last week and opined on his playing future: “I’m still leaving the book open, Zach. I’m still training. I’m still working out because, you know, my mind is still in it. It’s not like I cannot physically play, or I feel like I can’t physically give my best. I feel like I still have, you know, enough in the tank to help a team win. But, you know, that decision is out of my hands, so for the most part I’m doing everything that I need to do just in case the phone do ring.”
The eight-time Pro Bowler last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is curiously unsigned at the moment. Peterson turned 34 in July — the same age as current Vikings CB1 Stephon Gilmore.
Gelb then pressed Peterson on destinations, asking if the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Vikings would move the needle for his prospective employment.
Peterson replied, “Exactly,” and specifically said about Minnesota, “Oh yeah, I would like to be there too, man. I love the coaching staff there. Me and Coach Kevin [O’Connell] had the opportunity to build a solid relationship over the nine months that I was with him. And it’s just a great feel and a great organization to be around, great guys to be around and show up to go to work with every day.”
Without Peterson, these are Minnesota’s cornerbacks entering Week 7:
Outwardly, the Vikings don’t need cornerback depth at the moment but would be one injury away to Gilmore or Murphy, for example, from calling a player like Peterson for a free-agent relationship.
The Steelers cut ties with Peterson in March, and he has not signed anywhere since. He produced a 61.5 Pro Football Focus score in 2023 with Pittsburgh, a mark neither very good nor outwardly terrible. He played 97% of all Steelers defensive snaps — a whopping number for anybody, especially a 33-year-old cornerback — while tallying a decent 91.7 passer-rating-against. The man basically played all the time in his 13th NFL season and never got too high or low per production.
Monitor any injuries to Gilmore, Murphy, or Griffin because Peterson would be a reasonable contingency plan. His desire to play in Minnesota cannot hurt.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.