Amid much hullabaloo regarding the future of running back David Johnson, Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has also weighed in on where he and owner Michael Bidwill stand with cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Season after season, Peterson has been regarded as one of the top corners in the game.
Though a suspension derailed the majority of Peterson's 2019 campaign, Keim and Co. haven't been soured on the standout and hope his career continues and eventually concludes in the desert.
"Pat is a guy -- Michael and I have talked many times about this -- we'd love to see him retire as a Cardinal," Keim told 98.7 FM's Doug & Wolf, adding that the team has had conversations with Peterson in regards to his contract, but nothing has transpired as of yet.
Peterson's 2020 season is the last on his current deal -- a five-year, $70.5-million contract in which he's due $12.05 million in base salary during his age-30 year, per Over The Cap.
"He's under contract, and I think when you look at the body of work last year, he'd be one of the first to tell you he didn't play up to expectations early on," Keim said.
After the Cardinals used the fifth pick in the 2011 NFL Draft on Peterson, he responded with eight straight Pro Bowl selections -- with three All-Pro nods sprinkled in -- to start his stellar career. That streak ended in 2019 after Peterson spent his first six weeks serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Peterson's play found its way back to form down the stretch, particularly in the final three games as he notched a combined 17 tackles, two for a loss, one interception and five passes defended.
On the season, he garnered 53 tackles, two picks, seven passes defended and three tackles for loss.
"The last three games I thought he played excellent," Keim said. "I think that he's got a chip on his shoulder, and I think he's going to come back with a vengeance."
Key is coming back, which Keim is hopeful to have Peterson doing for the remainder of his career.
