Patrick Peterson is the newest addition to Mike Tomlin’s secondary for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two have encountered one another over the years, but the stars have finally aligned after Peterson inked his newest deal with Pittsburgh.
The former LSU superstar will enter his 13th season in the NFL in 2023, and he couldn’t be more excited to get it started under his new head coach.
“With Coach Tomlin having the opportunity to coach my cousin, Bryant McFadden, so I have crossed paths with [Tomlin] numerous times before I got to college,” Peterson said in his introductory press conference. “Then obviously coming out of LSU and going into the draft, having communication throughout that process. Watching him from afar. Anytime we played them, there was always a great deal of respect between us.
“When you see his coaching staff, how his players talk about him, his sayings. You just want to be a part of something like that.”
Peterson has spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings after a decade with the Arizona Cardinals. He started all 17 games for Minnesota this past season, notching his career high in tackles with 66, picking off five passes, and had 15 passes deflected.
Patrick Peterson is All in on Steelers
Peterson joins the Steelers with a Hall of Fame resume. He was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2010s and is an eight-time Pro Bowler. He won’t tell you his career is winding down, though.
“When you have an opportunity, you don’t want to waste that opportunity. On this second go-around, I feel like I definitely have a lot left in the tank,” Peterson said. “I can provide a lot to whatever team I could have landed on. But, I feel like this was the best fit for me just because of what coach can do for my career as a DB.”
With Peterson putting up career numbers in two of his last three seasons, the former Tiger is playing like he’s 22 rather than 32. His 15 pass deflections are the most since his second season in the league — same with his five interceptions.
Age doesn’t seem to be a problem, either. Peterson has only missed 10 games out of 194 his teams have participated. He never missed a single start in his first eight seasons. Injuries have almost never been a problem for him. Now, it’s paying off for him in the latter stages of his career.