Patrick Peterson

At 34 years old, Patrick Peterson has this physical status:

Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. (born July 11, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League.

He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he received the Chuck Bednarik Award as the country's top defensive back, the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back, and was unanimously named an All-American.

In the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Cardinals selected him fifth overall.

In each of Peterson's first eight seasons in the NFL, he has been admitted to the Pro Bowl.

Early years

On July 11, 1990, Peterson was born in Pompano Beach, Florida. He attended Blanche Ely High School, where he played both running back and defensive back. He scored 11 touchdowns on offense as a rookie, while on defense, he had seven interceptions and 54 tackles. He had three kick-offs for touchdowns and eight rushes for 213 yards. Peterson, a senior, rushed for 733 yards and 11 touchdowns (9 rushing attempts, one kick return, and one punt return). He had 21 tackles and five interceptions on defense. Peterson was named Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today and played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl alongside numerous All-American squad picks.

He was also on the school's track & field team, where he ran the 100 meters in 10.92 seconds and the 200 meters in 22.24 seconds. He was also a member of the 4 100 m relay (41.41 s) team.

Peterson was ranked as the nation's fifth-best overall player by Rivals.com and No. 58 by both major recruiting firms. According to ESPN, the best deal in the world is 8. He verbally committed to play for the University of Miami in his senior year, but then began to investigate other colleges. Peterson had revived his recruiting process and expressed an interest in Georgia, USC, Florida, and LSU by November 2007. He later deleted Georgia and USC from his list and went to Florida State, but it was later revealed that he will attend LSU at the United States Army All-American Bowl.

Personal life

When Peterson first signed with LSU, he went by the name "Johnson," but in August 2008 he officially changed it to "Peterson." Patrick and Shandra Peterson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are his parents. He is a descendant of NFL players Bryant McFadden, Walter McFadden, Sinorice Moss, and Santana Moss (his maternal cousins) and Zack Moss (his second cousin). Avery Johnson, Peterson's younger brother (who later changed his name to "Peterson"), was a member of the ESPNU 150 Watch List in 2012.

Peterson and his partner Antonique, a physician, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Both the couple have two children. In 2015, Peterson revealed he had type two diabetes.

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College career

Peterson played for Les Miles' LSU Tigers football team from 2008 to 2010.

Peterson, one of the most decorated high school players to ever attend LSU, appeared in 13 games as a true freshman. He made his first collegiate interceptive appearance against Alabama on November 8. He appeared in the Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Georgia Tech in the final four games of the season. Peterson finished the season with 41 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups, as well as adding a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

Peterson was one of the top defensive backs in the Southeast Conference in his sophomore season. He had a 37-yard intercept return for a touchdown against Mississippi State on September 26, a touchdown. In a game against standout wide receiver A. J., A. J. was suspended. Peterson, a native of Georgia, was able to hold Green to just four catches.

Peterson finished fourth in the league with seven passes defended, and ESPN's Chris Low named him the SEC's "Most Improved Player" for the fourth time by mid-season.

When Peterson went against Julio Jones of Alabama in another highly awaited match, it was another highly awaited match. The LSU Tigers were ranked ninth in the country and met Nick Saban and the #1 ranked Crimson Tide. When Peterson stepped in front of a pass from quarterback Greg McElroy to Julio Jones for what seemed to be an interception, the Tigers were down by six points in the fourth quarter. Multiple CBS camera angles showed that Peterson was able to get at least one foot in bounds. However, the SEC's officiating crew called the pass incomplete, claiming that Peterson was not allowed to get any foot in bounds even after an examination. Alabama would win 24–15 after going on to kick a field goal on that drive. Many television shows were quickly mocked and were discussed by several media outlets.

Peterson finished 2009 with 52 tackles. Kelvin Sheppard, the team's second solo tackler, came in second, second on the team. Peterson completed an interception for a touchdown against Mississippi State, and he returned a blocked field goal against Ole Miss for a touchdown. The Sporting News, a 2009 First-Team All-American performer for ESPN, has also named him as a 2009 Second-Team All-SEC champion and a 2009 Second-Team All-American performer by the AP, as well as a 2009 Second-Team All-American.

Peterson was selected to the pre-season watch lists for the Nagurski Award, the Ronnie Lott Award, the Walter Camp Award, and the Chuck Bednarik Award. Peterson would return punts and kickoffs due to his size, speed, and athleticism, according to the company's summer of 2010. Peterson, who was regarded as a dark horse in the 2010 Heisman Trophy award, given to the best college football player every year, gained a sense of urgency to his game and his emergence as a cornerback.

In the 2010 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Peterson began his junior season against North Carolina. The Tigers defeated Peterson 30–24, and Peterson was sensational. Peterson was unstoppable on his first attempts as a returner, with 257 punts and kickoffs returning to school, with 244 yards total in the first half. He punted 87 yards for a touchdown and maintained good field position for the Tiger's offense. His 257-yard career ranks second in the SEC after Nick Turner of Mississippi State and his 266-yard success. Peterson was named Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. He was also named the Week's IMPACT Player of the Week.

In week two, Peterson had two punt returns against Vanderbilt for eight yards as the Tigers rolled past the Commodores. He also had two kickoffs for 51 yards but had to go along with just one tackle.

The 2–0 Tigers hosted 1–1 Mississippi State for LSU's first home game of the year in week three of the 2010 season. The Tiger defense suffocated Mississippi State's offense, and Peterson's campaign was boosted by two acrobatic interceptions for LSU. He also had four solo tackles on foot after receiving one kickoff 39 yards and one punt 2 yards.

In week four against Top-25 opponents West Virginia, Peterson entertained the home crowd once more. West Virginia decided to play a mid-range field goal, but Peterson was able to leap from behind the line of scrimmage and block the kick early in the first quarter. West Virginia was forced to punt later in the half due to the Tiger defense's efforts. Peterson punched the punt from his own 40-yard line and ran 60-yards up the middle of the field for a touchdown and a 17–0 lead. Peterson kicked the Heisman pose in Tiger Stadium's North end zone, sparking a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct foul. In the game that culminated in LSU winning 20–14, Peterson was almost single-handedly responsible for ten points. Peterson's first four games during his Heisman winning season began comparing him to Woodson, who had worse records than Peterson. Peterson was also named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week this week. He also had 1 solo tackle.

The LSU Tigers defeated the Tennessee Volunteers in Week five. The Tigers defeated the Tennessee Titans 16–14 after Peterson and the LSU defense limited Tennessee to 217 yards of offense and the Tigers won 16-14. Peterson made 1 solo tackle and 3 assisted tackles. For 64 yards, he had 3 punt returns for 30 yards and 3 kickoff returns. With the victory over the Volunteers, the LSU Tigers improved to 5–0 and 3–0 in the SEC.

The Tigers were able to finish No. 1 on Peterson's efforts to earn them to No. 1. 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 as well as a #9 spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25. He was 3rd in Division I-A punt return average at 23.6 yards per attempt (28 for 283), 1st in punt return touchdowns with 2, and 22nd in kickoff return average at 28.2 yards per attempt through week 5 of the 2010 season. Peterson was also ranked 30th in the country with two interceptions. He appeared in the top five of the most straw polls regarding the 2010 Heisman Trophy. Peterson worked as a wide receiver and a running back on offense in an attempt to jumpstart the Tigers' stumbling offense.

In the 33–29 victory over the Florida Gators on October 9, Peterson had four kick returns for 106 net yards, one punt return, and one total tackle. He had two kick returns for 63 net yards and two punt returns for 34 net yards in the next game against the McNee State Cowboys, as well as one tackle. He had four kick returns for 99 net yards, two punt returns for 18 net yards, and three total tackles in the following game against Auburn. In the 24–21 victory over Alabama, he had two kick returns for 45 net yards, two punt returns for 22 net yards, eight total tackles, and three passes defended. He had three punt returns for 31 net yards, one total tackle, and an interceptor that was returned 85 yards against Louisiana–Monroe. He had four kick returns for 121 net yards, three punt returns for 30 net yards, four total tackles, and one interception in the following game against Ole Miss. He had four kick returns for 163 net yards, three total tackles, and one pass defensed against Arkansas on November 27, and one pass defense was denied. He had three kick returns for 81 net yards against Texas A&M in his last collegiate game, along with six total tackles.

He was a first-team All-SEC pick and was named as a unanimous first-team All-American after the season.

Professional career

Peterson, who came out of LSU in 2011, was a likely first-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. Multiple analysts said he was a consensus top-five pick and was considered the best player in the draft. Peterson did a lot of drills at the NFL combine, completing all of the required combine drills. On March 14, 2011, he attended LSU's pro day and decided not to carry his combined numbers and only do positional drills for scouts and team representatives. Mike Tomlin, the Carolina Panthers' head coach, and Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints were among the team members that attended LSU's pro day to scout Peterson, Kelvin Sheppard, Drake Nevis, Joseph Barksdale, Stevan Ridley, Terrence Toliver, and several others. NFL analyst Mike Mayock, NFLDraftScout.com, Foxsports analyst Brian Billick, and Sports Illustrated rated him as the best cornerback candidate in the draft.

In the first round (fifth overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft, Peterson was selected by the Arizona Cardinals. He was the first cornerback selected.

The Arizona Cardinals signed Peterson to a fully guaranteed four-year, $18.42 million contract, which also included a signing bonus of $11.90 million.

Peterson was selected as the starting cornerback for his rookie season by head coach Ken Whisenhunt and Greg Toler. He started the Arizona Cardinals' season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and scored his first touchdown after returning a punt for an 89 yards in the fourth quarter to win the game 28-21. During the game, Peterson had five solo tackles. As the Cardinals lost 21-22 to the Washington Redskins, he made a season-high eight combined tackles the following week. During a 10-13 loss, Peterson made one tackle, defended a pass, and made his first interception in his career, picking up a pass from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson.

Peterson fielded a punt at the one-yard line, dodged several will-be tackles, and returned the ball for the 99-yard touchdown in a 19-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on November 6, 2011. He also intercepted a flea-flicker pass meant for Brandon Lloyd, who had three tackles and three pass deflections. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time this week. During the Cardinals' 21-19 victory over the Cardinals in Week 14, he led the Cardinals to five solo tackles and his first sacking of his career.

With his fourth attempt against the St. Louis Rams on November 27, he tied the single-season record for punt return touchdowns. In a single season, he was the first player in football history to score four punt-return touchdowns worth at least 80 yards in a single season. For his appearance against the Rams, he was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time. He played in his rookie season with a sack, 64 combined tackles (59 solo), two interceptions, 13 passes blocked, and two defenders with three interceptions, 13 passes defended, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and 16 starts. He also had a rookie record 699 return yards on 44 punt returns, the second highest number in NFL history).

Peterson was selected as a kick returner to the 2012 Pro Bowl and was the only rookie to be named in the 2011 All-Pro First Team. He was ranked #55 by his coworkers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.

Peterson came back from a disappointing start to the 2012 season as the starting lineback, opposite William Gay. In a 20-18 victory over the New England Patriots on September 16, 2012, Peterson had one carry for 17 yards, three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Tom Brady. In a 38-10 victory over Matt Stafford, he had a season-high seven combined tackles and intercepted him on December 16, 2012.

Peterson made 55 tackles, 17 passes blocked, and a NFL-leading five fumble recoveries. He had 51 punt returns for 426 yards, three receivers for 11 yards, and two carries for 13 yards. Peterson was voted to the 2013 Pro Bowl as a cornerback on December 26, 2012. He was ranked 33nd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

Peterson, the Arizona Cardinals' new head coach, named Peterson as the starting cornerback, opposite Jerraud Powers, in the 2013 season.

During a 25-21 victory over the Detroit Lions on September 15, 2013, Peterson caught one pass for 17 yards to Kerry Taylor, who had four solo tackles. This made him the first defender to catch and complete a pass in the same game since the 1970 merger. During a 13-10 victory, Mike Glennon made two solo tackles and intercepted two passes from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon. Multiple interceptions made it the first game of Peterson's career. For his game against Tampa Bay, he received NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. In a 37-34 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Peterson had a season-high seven combined tackles. Despite the fact that the Cardinals had a 10-6 record in their first year under Bruce Arians, they finished third in their division and did not qualify for a playoff spot.

Peterson appeared in all 16 games in 2013 and scored 42 touchdowns (40 solo), three interceptions, 13 pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. He had 33 punts for 198 return yards, one kickoff return attempt for 18 yards, made six tackles for 54 receiving yards, and had four carries for 21 yards. He was selected for the 2014 Pro Bowl as a cornerback, marking his third appearance in the sport. For the second time in his career, he was selected to First Team All-Pro for the second time. On the 2014 NFL Top 100 Players, he was ranked #22 by his peers.

The Arizona Cardinals agreed Peterson to a five-year, $70 million contract extension with $48 million as a result of the signing bonus on July 29, 2014.

During a 31-14 victory, he started the season as the Arizona Cardinals' starting cornerback, opposite Antonio Cromartie, and he no longer had to worry about return duties due to Ted Ginn Jr's arrival. He had a 30-yard touchdown on his first defensive touchdown of his career. For his work against the Rams, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In a 17-14 victory, Peterson defeated Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith with a season-high eight combined tackles and suspended quarterback Alex Smith. He played in 50 combined tackles (43 solo), eight pass deflections, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in 16 games and 16 starts in the 2014 season. He was selected for the 2015 Pro Bowl as a cornerback, his fourth straight appearance.

In 2014, the Arizona Cardinals posted an 11-5 record and qualified for their first-round berth. During a 16-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Round in January 3, 2015, Peterson played in his first career postseason game and recorded two combined tackles.

Peterson revealed that he had been diagnosed with diabetes shortly after the 2014 football season. He said that this affected his 2014 season, that the disease was under control, and that he was set for the 2015 season. He was ranked 19 by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

After Ted Ginn Jr.'s departure, Peterson was named the starting cornerback and was given full-time punt return service.

During a 48-23 victory over the Chicago Bears on September 20, 2015, he had three solo tackles and intercepted Jay Cutler. As the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Detroit Lions 42-17, he had four combined tackles and intercepted a pass off Matthew Stafford in Week 5. As the Cardinals were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 13-25, he earned his season-high five solo tackles. Despite being in possession of all 16 games, Peterson ended with a career low 35 combined tackles (35 solo), eight pass deflections, and two interceptions.

With a 13-3 record, the Arizona Cardinals captured the NFC West for the second time, earning a playoff berth and a first round bye. The Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in the Divisional Round, in which Peterson had a 100-yard pick-six off Aaron Rodgers' negated due to a defensive holding penalty. As the Cardinals lost 49–15, Peterson finished five combined tackles and returned an interception off Cam Newton for 70 yards.

He was voted first-team All-Pro for the third time in a row, marking his fifth straight appearance. On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016, he was also ranked 18th best player by his fellow NFL stars.

Peterson took over as the starting cornerback, opposite Marcus Cooper, with full-time punt return duties being handed over by John Brown, with Peterson returning sparingly throughout the season.

During a 40-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 18, 2016, Peterson combined tackles and intercepted Jameis Winston. During an 18-33 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Peterson recorded four combined tackles and intercepted Tyrod Taylor, catching the ball with just one hand. In a 34-31 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on December 24, 2016, he finished with a season-high six combined tackles. In 16 games and 16 starts, he had 51 total tackles (45 solo), six interceptions deflected, and three interceptions. Peterson, along with teammates Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson, were selected to participate in the 2017 Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016, for the sixth year in a row. He was also ranked 19th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 as the highest ranked cornerback.

After Marcus Cooper left in free agency, Peterson remained as the Cardinals' de facto starting cornerback with Justin Bethel. Peterson made his first interception of the season by defeating Tom Savage in a Week 11 game against the Houston Texans. Peterson was named to his seventh straight Pro Bowl on December 19, 2017. Overall, he had 13 punt returns for 88 net yards, 34 total tackles, one fumble recovery, eight passes blocked, and one intercept. He was ranked 23rd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

As the Cardinals defeated 24-6, Peterson had one tackle and sacked Alex Smith once in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins. As the Cardinals lost 34-0 on Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, Peterson made eight tackles and intercepted Jared Goff. Peterson led Case Keenum to six tackles and intercepted Case Keenum as the Cardinals lost 5-10 in Week 7. On his way to his eighth straight Pro Bowl, he finished the season with 54 tackles, five pass deflections, and two interceptions. He was ranked 46th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

Peterson will be suspended for the first six games of the season for breaching the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, according to the NFL. He pleaded for the suspension to be reduced, but he did not win the appeal, and the six-game suspension was upheld. As per NFL rules, players who receive PED suspensions are ineligible for the Pro Bowl. On October 14, he was reinstated from suspension and was activated on October 19, 2019.

Peterson returned from his suspension against the New York Giants in week 7. Peterson sacked Daniel Jones, who was rescued by teammate Haason Reddick in the 27-21 victory. Peterson made his first interception of the season against the New Orleans Saints in week 8 after losing 31-9. Peterson made seven tackles, three passes defended, and intercepted a pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr. during the 38–24 victory, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Peterson made his first interception of the season in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers thanks to a pass given to him by Teddy Bridgewater during the 31–21 loss. During Week 7 against the Seattle Seahawks, Peterson intercepted a pass given by Russell Wilson during the 37-34 overtime victory. Peterson had an interception by Josh Allen in Week ten against the Buffalo Bills, earning a 32-30 victory. It would be Peterson's last interception in a Cardinals uniform.

Peterson signed with the Minnesota Vikings on March 17, 2021. Peterson revealed on April 26, 2021, he'd be changing his jersey number from 21 to 7. He wore 7 during high school and at LSU's college years. With the change, he became the first player to profit from the NFL's newly relaxed jersey number laws.

The Vikings' Peterson had a starting lineback in the 2021 season. He started the first six games before suffering from a hamstring injury in Week 7. On October 18, 2021, he was put on sick reserve. It's the first time in Peterson's 10-year career that he was forced to miss a game due to injury. He was activated on November 20, 2021.

Peterson re-signed with the Vikings on March 30, 2022.

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