Patrick Peterson is available as per trade rumors leading up to the NFL Draft. Which teams have need, cap space and draft capital to make the move?
It feels like Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson has been on the trade block for years. Earlier this offseason, the star playmaker seemingly made amends with the team, the coaches, and the city. However, earlier this week his name began coming up in trade rumors yet again.
And then, on the morning on the draft, Yahoo senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson tweeted he believed Peterson to be the veteran most likely to be traded during the draft. At this point it almost feels inevitable that the eight time pro-bowler will be traded before the weekend is over. So, where in the world will Peterson play the 2019 season?
It seems like every team in the league could benefit from having Peterson on their roster. However, there are three things to consider when looking for a team to make the move.
1. Draft capital
First, teams must have the draft capital to make it worth it for Arizona to trade him. While this could change depending on the market for the three time All-Pro, the team must have resources. New head coach Kliff Kingsbury rightfully would like to parlay Peterson in to new players that fit what he wants to do, especially on offense. So what might they be looking for and what might it take to get the deal done?
Look to Darrelle Revis. The Jets traded him to the Bucs in 2014 for the Bucs’ 1st round pick (2014) and 4th round pick (2015). At the time of the trade, Revis was 29 years old. A similar amount of compensation could be expected here; though perhaps Arizona is a little more desperate with the 11th hour of the draft approaching.
2. Cap space
Peterson has two years left on his contract and is 28 years old. In those two years he is due roughly $11.8m and 13.2m respectively. So, a team has to have the available cap space.
The average draft class will cost a team about $9 million to sign. So when subtracting that, about 14 teams could conceivably generate the appropriate cap space to make the deal work. Obviously, others could restructure or cut players to make the move work too. But, there exists a bevy of teams with the cap space to make it happen, according to Over the Cap.
3. Need
While every team in the league could benefit from a shutdown corner like Peterson, there are some teams for whom the signing make more sense than others (obviously).
Considering the above, there are three teams that stand out as having the most likely chance of landing Peterson.