Exclusive: Patrick Peterson talks Kyler Murray, Joey Porter Jr. and American Century Championship

By D.J. Siddiqi

Patrick Peterson was arguably the top shutdown cornerback of the 2010s.

The 13-year veteran clinched eight consecutive Pro Bowl bids during his first eight years in the league (2011-2018), was a three-time First-team All Pro and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

The 35-year-old is likely a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, posting a dominant career during his first decade with the Arizona Cardinals (2011-2020) before spending his last few years with the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The now-retired cornerback recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with Casino.ca about a range of topics, including his former teammate Kyler Murray's move to the Minnesota Vikings, Joey Porter Jr.’s ascension, the best cornerback in the NFL and his participation in the American Century Championship.

The largest annual celebrity golf tournament features a number of athletes including Steph Curry, Tony Romo and Josh Allen and will be broadcast on Peacock and NBC from July 10 until July 12.

Q: Let's talk about the Vikings a little bit. You're familiar with Kyler Murray from playing together during his Arizona days. What are your thoughts on his move to the Vikings?

Peterson: “I thought it was a great move for Kyler to not only get a new look but to be around someone that can really unlock his potential. I played with Kevin O'Connell and saw how he operated the offense, saw how he was able to unlock Kirk (Cousins). I know he'd been with Kirk before, so it was kind of like a match made in heaven, because the way he called the games, it kind of featured Kirk in his best mannerisms.

“My biggest concern for Kyler Murray in this situation is: is he going to be able to adapt to how Kevin O'Connell wants to call plays, or is Kevin going to have to adapt to how Kyler Murray wants the offense to be run? It's going to be a very, very sticky situation.

“I believe he will win the starting job just because he's a proven quarterback. He's a guy who's a Pro Bowler in this league, a former first pick in this league, and we know those guys can hold on to that car for a long, long time. J.J. McCarthy is a first round pick as well, but the number one pick carries a little bit more weight, and I just feel like Kyler Murray is more proven.

“I am happy for Kyler Murray for the situation that he's in right now, how he's going to be able to play with a top-five defense, how he's going to be able to play with a consistent No. 1 receiver, how he's going to have a balanced offense. Everything is not really going to be upon his shoulders. I think he's in a great, phenomenal situation now.

“We just have to wait and see which offense they're going to want to operate under, because we know for the most part the Minnesota Vikings offense, they operate up under the center. Kyler Murray never really had to operate under the center in college and his time in Arizona. So it's going to be very, very interesting to see how the Minnesota Vikings offensive attack is going to be this year.”

Q: You bring up some interesting points about the whole shotgun thing, and you also brought up the amount of talent. So for Kyler, is this the perfect situation for him to rebuild his career?

Peterson: “This is the best situation that he's going to be in thus far throughout his career. In Arizona, we had solid teams, but we didn't have teams that can win right now, and Minnesota has a team that can win right now. What they were missing last year was a quarterback. J.J. wasn't healthy, they had to go through two other quarterbacks. Carson Wentz ended up getting hurt and the other quarterback threw four interceptions in one game.

“The defense was pretty much keeping them afloat. Now they just feel like they need a quarterback that's going to be able to manage them, manage the game, put them in the best position possible and Kyler Murray, in my opinion, picked the right team for that. Now it's going to be upon him to be the best player that he can be to revitalize his career.”

Q: He's 29 years old, still young, but I'm gonna ask you this question -- do you think this is his last great opportunity to prove that he's a true franchise quarterback?

Peterson: “I don't think this is his last, last chance. This might be his last best chance, as far as with the team that he has around him. Most teams that are quarterback-needy are bad teams for the most part, so they're going to need more pieces to fit around them again. He's in a very fortunate situation to be going to a quarterback-needy team that has everything already around him.

“This will probably be his last best opportunity if you don't make the best of this, what he has in front of him (with Minnesota). But I don't think this will be his last opportunity, just because you got to go back to Sam Darnold. Now he's on his fifth team, but he did make the best of his opportunity in Minnesota. I can go back to Geno Smith. He didn't have a Sam Darnold type career, where he went to another team, had great success, won the Super Bowl. Geno Smith played for multiple teams. He wasn't a former first pick, but he was a former top pick.

“So again, this is going to be on Kyler Murray. He's going to continue to have opportunities, but the best opportunity is right now.”

Q: As far as the Steelers, it's Aaron Rodgers' last year. Expectations for that franchise, overall thoughts on them? Where would you rank them among the AFC teams right now?

Peterson: “They're third in the division right now. I think Baltimore is a better team. Cincinnati is going to be better if Joe Burrow is healthy. I think the Steelers, they're going to be salvageable. They're going to get their eight-to-nine wins and Aaron Rodgers is going to go off into the sunset. But I don't think they're in position to compete as a team right now in the AFC North. Mike McCarthy is a great head coach. He's done some great things in Green Bay, done great things in Dallas, but I think with this team being an older team, it's going to be a lot more challenging.”

Q: It sounds like based upon what you're saying, they're not going to improve, they're just kind of mired in mediocrity, and they'll probably miss the playoffs.

Peterson: “I believe they'll be right there in the middle of the pack as far as wins and losses as they have been in the last 17 years.”

Q: I want to ask you as a cornerback about Joey Porter Jr. What are your overall thoughts on him as a player? And then obviously, he's going for that contract extension before the season starts. Do you think that happens?

Peterson: “I don't know if it'll happen because Pittsburgh, they run business a little different from other teams. But I believe Joey is definitely well-deserving of a contract extension. He's a stud. He's a guy who absolutely erases teams’ No. 1 receivers. I had the opportunity to be with him his rookie year, and it was quite impressive to see what he was able to do throughout that year. The responsibilities that they put on him throughout the year reminded me so much of my rookie season, and he took it like a champ.

“To see him continuing to grow, and to continue to be that cornerstone, not only for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but across the league. I know you don't get a lot of pub because you don't have a lot of interceptions, but I'll tell you one thing: teams' receivers don't score on him, and a lot of guys don't catch the ball on him. As a defensive back, that's the main objective.”

Q: Does he remind you of any other cornerback that you've seen?

Peterson: “No, he's in a world of his own, because he doesn't look fast on film, but he has great speed, and he uses his length to his advantage.”

Q: Who was the toughest wide receiver you ever played against?

Peterson: “The toughest receiver I went up against was Calvin Johnson.”

Q: Best cornerback in the game today?

Peterson: “I go with Derek Stingley, what he's able to do on and off at the line of scrimmage. I know Patrick Surtain Jr. was the Defensive Player of the Year two years ago, but what Derek Stingley was able to do last year was very, very impressive. He made guys around him better, and he still was able to make plays for himself as well.”

Q: Best wide receiver in the NFL today?

Peterson: “Best receiver in the game today, that's a tough one. But I'm gonna go with -- they're both the best -- Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. Because they're neck and neck in stats and when you turn on the film, they both are so different in their own way, and they give you the same results. I'll have to go with those guys. I'm not even gonna say 1A and 1B.”

Q: Talk about this American Century Championship. How good of a golfer are you?

Peterson: “I'm a five handicap, so I'm pretty decent. American Century is one of those events that I look forward to each and every year. Not only me, but my family, my kids, my wife come up with me each and every year. They look forward to hitting the lake and watching daddy golf, walking along outside of the ropes while daddy plays three days of competitive golf.

“I'm working with this new AI platform that Performance Golf PG1 came up with. I've been working with them for the last four to five months, and it's been helping me tremendously, because I've been a guy that never really...I had a couple coaches throughout my golf years. I'm going to my 13th year of golfing, but never had the opportunity to use a coach on the go. That's basically what this performance golf app provides -- it helps you understand your root flaws to help you practice the right way. Ever since I've been using it, I believe it shaved off some strokes for me. I'm feeling really, really confident going into this year's American Century.”

Q: Yeah, Pat, it sounds like you're pretty serious about this using this AI thing to improve your game. I've talked to Jerome Bettis multiple times, and he's a serious golfer, but he's also realistic. He doesn't expect to win this whole thing. For you, what is a good finish for you? What is your mindset entering this?

Peterson: “My best finish before was 19th, so I want to be in the top 15 this year. That's my goal. I don't believe I can win it right now, just because of these baseball players and tennis players. Mardy Fish, who just won the last pro tour event, has won American Century a couple times. So being in that field with those guys, my game is not there just yet, because those guys' handicap is around one to scratch, and like I said, I'm a five handicap.

“I need a couple more years to really compete with those guys on a three-day stretch. There will be days I can shoot a 75 or 73, but I can't as of right now. I have not been able to prove I can do that on a consistent basis, but now using PG1, I think I kind of have an idea on how to sustain the momentum once I do capture it throughout my rounds.”

Q: You brought up Mardy Fish. I always hear that name as a threat by all the golfers. Other than him, who do you think is the best player on the course this year?

Peterson: “Best player on the course this year, gotta go with Tony Romo. He's up there. Steph (Curry) is one of those guys. We already talked about Mardy Fish, who is always in it. Tony Romo is going to be one of those guys. Adam Thielen, he's going to be a sneaky one this year. I believe this is first year really being retired, so he's already been a scratch golfer, so I won't be surprised to see Adam finish in the top five. Those will probably be the guys off the top of my head that could be in real contention.”