Patrick Peterson's New Vikings Contract is For a Team-Friendly $4 Million

Peterson will make half of what he made in 2021, and he's OK with that.

Future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson is returning to the Vikings in 2022, and he'll be playing with the lowest salary cap hit he's had since his rookie year in 2011.

Peterson signed a one-year deal worth $4 million, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. It comes with $3.5 million guaranteed ($2 million base salary, $1.5 million signing bonus) and $500K in per-game roster bonuses. There's an additional $1 million in incentives that could push the deal up to a maximum of $5 million.

That's great value for the Vikings. Last season, Peterson played on a one-year, $8 million deal in Minnesota after leaving the Cardinals for the first time. He was reliable in coverage and brought a lot to the locker room as a leader and teacher, but he did miss four games with a hamstring injury.

This time around, Peterson didn't feel a need to maximize his earnings. He heard from a number of other teams — including the Bills, Bears, Colts, Buccaneers, and Commanders — and presumably could've gotten a slightly bigger contract elsewhere. Peterson returning to Minnesota was about feeling like he has unfinished business with his teammates.

"It's a good group of guys in the locker room," he said after announcing the move on his podcast, All Things Covered. "Harrison (Smith) being one of the ones that I'm very, very close to on the squad. I just felt it was right to be there and grind with those guys and try to all come together for that common goal. ... It was a fun year last year, obviously wasn't the outcome that we wanted, but we've got another crack at it."

As for playing on a one-year deal for just $4 million, Peterson said he's at a point in his career where the financial side of the game is a secondary concern to him.

"I love the game," he said. "All that other stuff is going to come with it. As long as I have an opportunity to play the game that I love at a high level, give it all I got, and help my teammates reach their full potential, that's all that matters to me. As long as I'm making something that's respectable, I'm not trying to back up the Brinks truck anymore because I know I'm not 26, 25 (years old) anymore. I just want to be able to have a respectable contract so I can come in there with a smile and we'll go from there. It's just me betting on myself again. We'll see where it takes me this year."

Peterson, who signed a five-year, $70 million extension with the Cardinals back in 2014, has made over $102 million in 11 NFL seasons. He said he wants to play for three more years, including the upcoming 2022 campaign, but it'll depend on how his body holds up.

The fact that the Vikings are only spending $4 million on Peterson means they should still have some room to continue adding minor pieces in free agency ahead of next month's draft.

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