Steelers Open to Bringing Back Patrick Peterson
p/c: Ed Thompson
On Monday, Mike Tomlin was present, for the AFC Coaches Breakfast at the NFL Owners Meeting in Orlando. One of the topics asked to Tomlin was about a Patrick Peterson return, with the Steelers head coach being open to the idea of bringing back the former All-Pro. Peterson himself mentioned recently on his All Things Covered podcast that he and Tomlin had a phone conversation regarding a possible return.
Last offseason, the Steelers came to terms with Peterson on a two-year contract worth $14 million.
Peterson entered 2023 as one of Pittsburgh’s outside corners. Perhaps age was catching up, as he vastly struggled in that spot during the first half of the season.
With the steady, emergence of rookie Joey Porter Jr, Peterson was relegated to a slot corner role, and to his credit, performed better.
Behind the scenes, Peterson had served as a mentor to Porter - something that helped Porter become a finalist for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year this past season.
Due just over $9.7 million for 2024, the Steelers made the obvious decision to release Peterson, which they did on March 8th.
Pittsburgh’s slot corner depth is very thin right now. The only two moves that Omar Khan has made in the secondary to this point was acquiring outside CB Donte Jackson from the Carolina Panthers, in the Diontae Johnson trade, and signing DeShon Elliott to a two-year deal to be the starting SS.
Given the Steelers’ need for a veteran slot corner, as well as his relationship with Mike Tomlin, a Peterson return on an inexpensive deal seems like a good bet. Although it’s probable that the team would re-sign Peterson after next month’s draft.