Cornerback Patrick Peterson was a pillar of the Arizona Cardinals defense for 10 seasons. After being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of LSU, Peterson was named a First Team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl in his first season. He would go on to earn two more First Team All-Pro selections and seven more Pro Bowls before signing with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason after hitting free agency.
Though he turned 31 in July, many thought Peterson would be a Cardinal for life. That obviously did not happen, and his exit from Arizona was not an amicable one. During a recent taping of the "All Things Covered" podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden, Peterson says that general manager Steve Keim fed him "bull---t" in the lead up to free agency.
During the course of the podcast, Peterson for the most part refers to Keim as the "GM of the team I used to play for." According to Peterson, Keim said that the Cardinals had to wait until the cap number came out to give Peterson info on what would happen next regarding his future, but Arizona signed veteran pass-rusher J.J. Watt before that cap number came out. Peterson says he wasn't given respect when it came to understanding where he stood with the franchise.
"We're all grown men here, we're not in high school," Peterson said.
Peterson says he even texted Keim to congratulate him on the Watt signing and to voice that he was eager to see how the rest of March was going to play out. But, Keim apparently never texted back. Peterson said he even texted Keim again around the start of free agency, and again didn't get a response.
"I wanted to stay there. I felt like my family was there," Peterson said. "I feel like I've done a lot to be able to be given that respect."
Peterson said that in the past, he would drop everything when Keim asked him to help recruit players to Arizona.
"I'm all about the team because I wanna f-----g win," Peterson said.
When Peterson signed with the Vikings, Keim tried to congratulate him on his new deal, but it was Peterson's turn to ignore the message. Peterson is focused on his future with the Vikings, and said that he feels appreciated instead of "tolerated." A place where he can be himself again. Peterson gets a chance to play against his former team in Arizona in Week 2, but he won't be seeking out Keim to give him a handshake.
"For him to do that, yo, I lost all respect for him, man... That was the ultimate disrespect right there."
