Patrick Peterson has known for quite some time that he was facing a suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and that may have had something to do with why he seemed unhappy with the Arizona Cardinals.
Peterson created a stir on social media last month with a cryptic post that made it seem like his future in Arizona was in doubt. According to John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports, Peterson’s discontent was directly related to his suspension, as he was hoping the Cardinals would rework his deal before the NFL handed down punishment.
Peterson has two years remaining on his current contract and is scheduled to make $11 million in 2019 and a little over $12 million in 2020. Had the Cardinals been willing to work with him on a new deal, he believes he could have saved himself $2 million of the nearly $4 million he will have to forfeit during his six-game ban.
A six-game suspension is set to cost Cardinals’ CB Patrick Peterson $3,882,352 in lost wages.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2019
For what it’s worth, Gambadoro does not believe the NFL would have approved such a restructure with a suspension looming.
If Peterson was hoping the Cardinals would help protect some of his salary, it would not have been unprecedented. Back in 2016, the New England Patriots signed Tom Brady to a two-year extension that paid him less in the short-term and more in the later years. That allowed him to save $2 million when he was eventually suspended four games over the Deflategate scandal.
However, Brady’s new contract was agreed to before the Deflategate situation played out, so the circumstances may have been a bit different. After Peterson tested positive for PEDs, it was obvious that a suspension was coming.
Peterson seemed unhappy with the Cardinals last season but eventually publicly apologized for the way he handled things. New Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury said this week that he is unsure if Peterson will show up to OTAs, so the relationship could be back on rocky ground.
