The Minnesota Vikings will either finish the regular season as the NFC’s top seed or head into the playoffs as perhaps the best Wildcard team in recent memory.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t improve in the coming days leading up to the start of the postseason next weekend.
The Vikings could still add a piece or two to the roster to fill out positions and/or units of need. One that jumps off the stat sheet as potentially in need of some assistance is the secondary, which coordinator Brian Flores asks to carry a heavy load playing in unique coverages — and sometimes at a disadvantageous head count — behind exotic blitz packages.
In this context, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report floated the idea of a reunion between the Vikings and eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, who played with the team for two seasons between 2021-22.
“Minnesota ranks 28th in passing yards allowed, and Peterson has made it known that he’d be happy playing for head coach Kevin O’Connell again,” Knox wrote on Saturday, January 4. “There would be little risk in bringing back Peterson for one more run.”
Patrick Peterson Produced Quality Seasons for Vikings, Steelers Over Past 2 Years
Peterson has not played all season, so he probably wouldn’t make sense for a lot of teams.
However, he did suit up for O’Connell during the 2022 campaign. Peterson never played for Flores as a defensive coordinator, however if Minnesota wins in Detroit Sunday night, the defensive back would have two full weeks to work in with the defense and get up to speed on everything that has changed.
Peterson also has some familiarity with multiple veteran members of the Vikings secondary/entire defense, which could also presumably ease some of the pains of a transition.
Moreover, that Peterson didn’t catch on anywhere during the 2024 regular season is somewhat surprising given his play over the previous two years. The cornerback put up what could be argued was a Pro Bowl campaign in 2022 for the Vikings when he recorded 15 pass breakups and 5 interceptions.
He then played well for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season as a full-time starter, save for one game, splitting his time between the cornerback and safety positions. Flores also served as a defensive assistant in Pittsburgh the year before he and Peterson swapped organizations, so the DB was likely exposed to at least the residue of some of Flores’ philosophies during the 2023 campaign.
Patrick Peterson Can Bring Leadership, Depth to Vikings Defense
Peterson is 34 years old, and though he was good in Minnesota two seasons back and solid with Pittsburgh in 2023, there is a reason he didn’t sign anywhere at any point over the past 18 weeks.
That said, Peterson earned Pro Bowl honors during the first eight campaigns of his career. He is still closer to 30 years old than 40 — he turns 35 in July — and has the kind of swagger and experience to render him a meaningful locker room presence for a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
Peterson is also an extra body if the Vikings suffer any meaningful injuries in the secondary on Sunday night or during the postseason. He is smart enough and talented enough to step in and play a handful of downs in a playoff game, or even make a big play should Flores call upon him.
Signing Peterson would cost Minnesota next to nothing financially, but could prove a boost at a crucial point somewhere down the line.
