Denver Broncos: Making the case for free agent Patrick Peterson
The Denver Broncos have an obvious need at the cornerback position heading into the 2021 offseason, even more so now with the release of veteran AJ Bouye.
There is no shortage of free agent cornerbacks available to the Denver Broncos and other teams, which could wind up being great from a financial perspective as well (supply and demand can help dictate price).
According to FanSided’s own Matt Verderame, one big-name free agent hitting the market will be Arizona Cardinals veteran Patrick Peterson.
Per source, the Arizona Cardinals and former All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson are parting ways barring a significant change in stances.
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) February 8, 2021
Peterson, 30, has enjoyed eight Pro Bowl and three First-Team All-Pro campaigns since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2011 Draft.
Peterson came into the league the same year as (and three picks after) Von Miller in the 2011 NFL Draft out of LSU. He has been one of the league’s premier players over the last decade, but obviously, he’s ready for a change of scenery this offseason and the Cardinals are not going to put up a fight about it.
Will the Denver Broncos in George Paton’s first year as GM consider making this kind of move?
It’s possible…
The Broncos’ biggest free agent moves in 2021 could be with their own in-house players. With that said, there is no question that the team would be making a huge mistake not to take advantage of such a tremendous class of free agent defensive backs, even if it means going against my personal preference of pursuing guys 30 and older.
Players who are age 30 and older are certainly not “off-limits” when it comes to free agency, but the Broncos’ roster as a whole is not really set up where these kinds of moves make a lot of sense over the long haul.
Putting together a list of a dozen free agent cornerbacks, the only one over the age of 28 was Xavier Rhodes, who was a draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings when George Paton was working with their front office.
But just because something is not my personal preference (I prefer free agents age 27 and under) doesn’t mean the idea of bringing in Patrick Peterson does not have some merit. In fact, it could be a great fit for both sides.
Let’s make the case for Patrick Peterson with the Denver Broncos in free agency.