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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson still has some hard feelings about his departure from the Arizona Cardinals.
Those hard feelings came to the surface after the Vikings’ 34-26 win over the Cardinals on October 30. Peterson called out Arizona general manager Steve Keim, wanting to have a long-awaited conversation with the man behind the organization that drafted him fifth overall in 2011.
“Where is Steve Keim? Still running from me,” Peterson said with Cardinals best reporter Cameron Cox recording him on the field. “I need to see him person-to-person. Stop running! You said you was gonna call me back. Two years later…”
Peterson addressed the outburst a few days later, adding the surrounding context of why he’s still irked by Keim.
Patrick Peterson Reveals How Cardinals GM Steve Keim Wronged Him
After Sunday’s win, Peterson revealed that someone in the Cardinals organization had left him a letter from a fan, threatening to not renew their season tickets if Peterson was still on the team during a down year for the franchise.
“I read the first two paragraphs, why the f*** am I reading this from a fan? Why am I getting this from somebody within the organization, from a fan? That threw me for a loop,” Peterson said, adding that the letter included a message: “I know you hear the chatter.”
The head games the Cardinals played with Peterson were just the tip of the iceberg.
On a November 1 airing of the All Things Covered podcast, Peterson revealed the backstory behind how Keim mistreated him in his final years in Arizona.
Peterson, who was a pending free agent in 2021, was told by Keim that the Cardinals planned to re-sign him in his annual exit meeting after the 2020 season.
Peterson had been inside many of the team-building conversations as a franchise player that earned eight Pro Bowls in 10 years with the team. He was told of Arizona’s hopes to sign J.J. Watt in the offseason, while also promised by Keim that the organization was “going do everything we can to keep you around.”
Peterson kept in contact with Keim approaching free agency and asked whether he should begin to entertain offers elsewhere. Kein said he wasn’t sure but said he would get back to him, Peterson said.
Awaiting a call, Peterson had a family vacation approaching and had his future left in limbo. He again asked whether he should start talking with other teams or sit pat.
Keim went radio silent.
“I [was] thinking I’m up next after the Watt signing,” Peterson said. “The sooner I can start [fielding offers in free agency] the better versus hanging around like a little doll. the night before free agency started, I called [Keim], left him a voicemail. He didn’t pick it up. I called my agent, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”
As soon as Peterson signed with the Vikings is when he received a long text message from Keim.
“That’s where the disrespect was at an all-time high,” Peterson said. “Not saying I’m your girlfriend or anything like that, just tell me ‘P, we love your 10 years here, but we just moving in another direction.’ Versus saying we going to do everything we can and then we have no communication, and you want to shoot me a text an hour after I signed.
“For people saying it’s been two years [since Peterson left Arizona], I’m waiting on the phone call. He still ain’t a man of his word. He still hasn’t called me back,” Peterson said.
Patrick Peterson Took Time Away From Family for Cardinals
Peterson acknowledged getting ghosted by an NFL organization happens often to players. However, his circumstance was different.
He said several times the Cardinals asked him to help court potential free-agent signees. Peterson obliged, leaving family activities to help the Arizona front office curry favor by wining and dining players and agents.
It was different. You picked me fifth overall to be a game-changer. Someone you can rely on for years and years to come,” Peterson said.
Peterson added that he holds no malice toward the organization or players — just Keim for how the Cardinals general manager mishandled Peterson’s exit from the organization.
“I’m the ultimate team player. I love my teammates. Every last one of my teammates I ran across while I was there,” Peterson said. “That was my only gripe or bad thing that I felt in my career there. The way it ended.”
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