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It took just three characters for Patrick Peterson to rile up the NFL about his potential return to the Minnesota Vikings.
A pending free agent this offseason, Peterson’s future in Minnesota has come into question with the three-time All-Pro cornerback approaching his 33rd birthday in July. Peterson has expressed his desire to return to Minnesota and believes he’s the same lockdown cornerback he was over the past decade.
Posting photos of him in his Vikings gear on Twitter, Peterson prodded Minnesota to lock him up, posting the eyes, thinking and closed lock emojis.
The tweet comes after Peterson addressed his future on the All Things Covered podcast.
“No doubt about it. I would love to be in that purple and gold again and give it a run again,” he said. “It’s just amazing, man. I truly believe, it felt like home to me. It felt like it was a place that I belong.”
However, Peterson’s tweet wasn’t isolated from the rest of the NFL. Opposing fans sounded off in response, urging their teams to lock him down as well. He’s also sent out feelers elsewhere in the NFL, saying he would like to join the Atlanta Falcons.
Peterson has been a valuable player both on the field and in the locker room the past two seasons.
However, with the arrival of defensive coordinator Brian Flores who has preferred to play tight man coverage, Peterson may not be a priority candidate to be re-signed at his age.
Brian Flores, Patrick Peterson May Not Be a Match
Ten years ago, Peterson in his prime would have been the centerpiece of a Flores defense. However, in 2023, Peterson doesn’t have the same speed and endurance he once did to run with wide receivers all game.
While the Vikings defense struggled as a whole, Peterson had a career renaissance under Ed Donatell. Peterson thrived in a role where he could read the quarterback more by sitting back in zone coverage. He secured a team-high five interceptions and allowed a 77.3 passer rating but that came at the expense of giving opposing offenses to attack underneath and take the yards after the catch.
That’s likely why he defended Donatell after his firing, saying it wasn’t the scheme or play-calling that led to the defense’s demise, but the players.
“I was shocked to see that they moved on from Coach Ed,” Peterson said on a January 25 episode of the All Things Covered podcast, “It’s just unfortunate that they had to make that change just after one year… I love his scheme. Just unfortunate that we didn’t perform better. Because it’s proven that the scheme works. The scheme is phenomenal.”
Flores is arguably as opposite as you could get from Donatell operating in a 3-4 base scheme. Flores blitzed over 40% of the time as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach from 2019 to 2021. He’ll look to do the same in Minnesota, and will need speedy, athletic cornerbacks who can disrupt at the line of scrimmage and buy time for the pass rush.
Peterson can do that in doses, but at this stage in his career, it’d be a gamble to expect that from him across an entire season.
Vikings Have Little Experience at CB Beyond Patrick Peterson
If Peterson does not return to Minnesota, the Vikings cornerbacks room is looking pretty bare of experience.
Starters Duke Shelley and Chandon Sullivan are also pending free agents. Meanwhile, Cam Dantzler is the only other cornerback who has significant playing experience.
Beyond Danztler, the Vikings have rookie corners Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans under contract — both of whom had their first seasons derailed by injury.
Flores has his work cut out for him, but there’s likely to be at least a few new cornerbacks either drafted or signed in the offseason to help rebuild the Vikings secondary.
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