Steelers, former All-Pro CB Patrick Peterson agree to terms: Sources

The Pittsburgh Steelers and former Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson have agreed to terms, league sources told The Athletic on Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The three-time first-team All-Pro is landing a 2-year deal, according to sources.
• Peterson, 32, spent the past two seasons with Minnesota after 10 with Arizona. An eight-time Pro Bowler, he started all 17 games last season and finished with five interceptions and 15 passes defended.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

The Steelers found lightning in a bottle six years ago when they signed veteran cornerback Joe Haden, and they followed suit this free agency even though Peterson is four years older than Haden was and likely has only a couple of seasons left in his career.

After Cam Sutton signed with the Lions, the Steelers were left with a room full of question marks. Ahkello Witherspoon and James Pierre were benched in each of their last two years and didn’t play a snap afterward. Levi Wallace was a solid free-agent pickup last year but is viewed by many as a third corner.

The Steelers had no choice but to add to the room, and they viewed Peterson as a cornerback who still has some football left in him while being able to mentor a rookie, as things are trending toward a first-round selection of a cornerback on April’s draft — whether it’s Joey Porter Jr., Christian Gonzalez or Devin Witherspoon — or any number of players likely to be picked in the second round. — Kaboly

It is unknown where Peterson will line up, but he could move around in the secondary depending on the sub-package the Steelers employ.

At 32, Peterson is more of a zone-coverage corner than man, which is the opposite of what the Steelers want their defensive backs to do, so where he fits should be interesting. — Kaboly

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