Patrick Peterson apologizes to Phoenix golf crowd for requesting trade from Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals hit plenty of low points last season as they hobbled to a 3-13 record, but they might have hit their lowest when star cornerback Patrick Peterson requested a trade in late October.
Peterson didn’t just request a trade either, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter heard from a source that the 28-year-old felt “if the situation is deteriorating and continues to reaffirm to others that he “desperately” wants out.”
Well, it’s three months later and Peterson is still one of the faces of the Cardinals. And he would like everyone to know that he regrets making the request.
Patrick Peterson to Phoenix: “I’m here to stay, baby”
While playing in the Phoenix Open pro-am, Peterson addressed the crowd after a tee shot and apologized.
Peterson officially rescinds his trade request from last season after sticking his tee shot at 16 #PhoenixOpen pic.twitter.com/zieCEVPC4V
— Nate Fain (@FainsWorld) January 30, 2019
“I just want to apologize to everybody for asking for that trade in the middle of the season. I’m here to stay, baby.”
That’s probably a good sign that Peterson again believes in the direction of the franchise. The Cardinals made a big gamble by hiring an offensive mastermind with zero NFL coaching experience in Kliff Kingsbury as head coach, but they also brought in former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph to serve as defensive coordinator.
Per the Cardinals’ website, Peterson consulted with team president Michael Bidwill during the coaching search and was quite pleased with the outcome, especially the return to a 3-4 defensive scheme and more planned use of man coverage:
“Last year I kind of had [one-on-one coverage] taken away from me, but now I think hiring Vance, and Mr. Bidwill getting some input from me, asking me what I think that can help this defense get back to what we were accustomed to doing — that’s what they did in the offseason. We’re going to be in that 3-4, high-pressure, get-the-ball-out-of-the-quarterback’s-hand-quickly (style), and have me on the No. 1 receivers.”
Peterson is the second-highest paid player on the Cardinals after signing a five-year, $70 million contract extension with the team and has made the Pro Bowl every season of his career as a cornerback or kick returner. Probably a player you want on board with your team’s new vision.
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