Patrick Peterson Will Sign New Contract with Vikings in 2022 NFL Free Agency

Veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson announced on his All Things Covered podcast on Wednesday that he is returning to the Minnesota Vikings.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, he'll return on a one-year deal. 

The 31-year-old spent the 2021 season with the Vikings, registering 45 tackles, an interception and five passes defensed across 13 games.

It was a change of scenery for the eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection, who spent the first 10 years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals. And he has clearly found a home in Minnesota. 

"If he stays healthy, he could be in a Vikings uniform for a few more years," his cousin and All Things Covered podcast co-host, Bryant McFadden, told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press in December. "He loves Minnesota. He's really embraced [it]."

The team's star young wideout, Justin Jefferson, spoke highly of Peterson during the 2021 season. 

"I mean, he's the best of the best. Going up against him every single day helps me progress as a receiver—just asking him different ways to better myself, better my route, what things did he see in my route to trigger him to jump?" he told the team's website in December. "He's taught me a lot, and I'm looking pretty good this season because of him."

Even with the Vikings rebuilding after firing former head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman this offseason, the LSU product is clearly in the plans of new head coach Kevin O'Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Peterson is no longer in his prime or one of the game's true elite superstars at the position, but retaining him is good news for Minnesota's secondary heading into the 2022 campaign.