Patrick Peterson likely won’t be traded until in-season, if at all

If Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals are headed for a parting of ways via trade, his suspension has postponed that idea.

A player entering his age-29 season is a poor fit for a team that is rebuilding. So trade rumors surrounding Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson have been natural, even if he personally backed off asking for a trade.

On Thursday, Peterson was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He wanted the Cardinals to restructure his contract, so as to lessen the financial blow from that suspension, and that seems to be the root of a report from April that he was angry with someone in Arizona’s front office.

Since he’ll miss 37.5 percent of the 2019 regular season, any idea the Cardinals will trade Peterson before the season begins is surely gone. Pulling the trigger on a deal between now and Week 1 would be moving one of the best corners in the league at the low-point in his value. Arizona would be getting pennies on the dollar.

As of now, Peterson will return to the field for the Cardinals in Week 7 against the New York Giants. The trade deadline is the Tuesday after Week 8, when Arizona plays the New Orleans Saints, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. ET.

With two games potentially under his belt, and pretty much half of his $11 million base salary for this year behind him at that point, the market for Peterson could really heat up in the hours before the deadline.

Peterson has one more year left on his contract after this one with a base salary just north of $12 million. That’s not a major concern as long as he maintains a high level of play. The bigger question, as it pertains to his trade value, is how big a mark the PED ban will be on his resume and the way it may affect how other teams view him going forward.

It’s easy to see the Cardinals being stuck with a suddenly depreciated asset here. If Peterson still would like to be traded, he only has himself to blame at this point.