Eight-time Pro Bowler discusses extended stay on free-agent market, possible position change

It’s been quiet on the Patrick Peterson front since the cornerback was released by the Steelers earlier this month. However, the veteran is expecting that talks will heat up once teams have more post-draft roster clarity.

During an appearance this week on the "NFL on Fox" podcast, Peterson acknowledged that he’s had preliminary talks with a handful of teams but isn’t expecting to join a new squad before the draft.

“From the cornerback position, I think a lot more signings are going to happen toward after the draft, once teams really understand what they have on their roster and what they may need to continue to improve their rosters,” Peterson said, via NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack. “That’s when I believe you’ll start to see more guys get picked up. Me and my agent have had conversations with a couple teams. Nothing really serious thus far, but there has been conversations. Like I said, we’ll see what happens in the next couple months.”

Peterson had an uneven one season in Pittsburgh. After signing a two-year, $14M deal with the organization last offseason, the former All-Pro proceeded to start 16 of his 17 appearances for the Steelers, collecting 42 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance in 2023, ranking him 86th among 127 qualifying cornerbacks. The Steelers cut him at the beginning of the month, with the organization getting $6.85M in cap savings.

Thanks in part to his struggles, the Steelers experimented with Peterson at safety last season, playing him in more than 300 snaps at the position. While the 33-year-old didn’t seem to entirely reject the position change, he said he wants suitors to be completely transparent if they intend for him to be a full-time safety.

“I don’t want to start at safety because that’s a different animal back there,” Peterson said. “That’s a different view back there. If that is the case, I would need to be warned going into the season to get my body, my mental prepared. It’s different being at the safety from the cornerback position, having those open-field tackles. As corners, we’re used to knifing in and slicing guys down. When you’re in the open field as a safety, especially if you’re in the middle of the field, that guy’s got 24 yards right and 24 yards left of you. There ain’t no way to cut him off by any means. You’re the last line of defense. So if that is something, I would need notice and probably, you know, get one of these old-time safeties like an Ed Reed or (Troy) Polamalu to coach me up.”