The Minnesota Vikings spent the first few days of free agency searching for help in the secondary, and they finally landed the kind of addition coach Mike Zimmer had been in search of, agreeing to terms with veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson on a one-year, $10 million contract.
Peterson turns 31 this summer and has been a 10-year standout in the NFL, reaching eight Pro Bowls and being named an All-Pro three times. The deal is low-risk for the Vikings since it’s only one year and also gives Peterson another shot at free agency next year when the salary cap is expected to be higher.
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How he fits: For the first time in Zimmer’s tenure, the Vikings were a mess on defense last season. The unit ranked 29th in points allowed and 30th in net yards per pass attempt. Zimmer attempted to revamp the cornerback crew last year, drafting Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney while letting established veterans walk. The two rookies had some success, but the Vikings badly lacked depth and star power at the position. Peterson fixes that.
The addition likely also allows the Vikings to play their corners at their natural positions, too. Peterson can play opposite Dantzler on the outside, while Gladney slides into his customary spot in the slot. Plus, Zimmer will value the mentoring that Peterson can provide to the pair of corners preparing for their second year in the league.
[Grading the signings: How does the Peterson deal fare?]
2021 impact: It’s clear now that the Vikings’ top priority this week was to improve Zimmer’s defense. To help the run defense, they agreed to a deal with Dalvin Tomlinson. In order to help the pass defense, they added Peterson. He’ll be a Day 1 starter, and if Dantzler improves as the Vikings hope, they’ll boast two above-average corners on the outside.
The Minnesota secondary isn’t completely settled, since they still need a safety to play opposite Harrison Smith. But adding Peterson is a big step in the right direction for a secondary that got picked apart last season.
Draft impact: There’s an ongoing joke from Vikings fans about Zimmer’s insistence on so frequently selecting a cornerback high in the draft. That may finally come to an end this April. Maybe. It at least frees up the team to use its earliest picks on other priorities: offensive line, defensive end and safety.
The Vikings knew they had enough salary-cap space to make two big moves. They chose defensive tackle and cornerback. Now, look for them to address their other big needs early in the draft.
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Cap update: After converting Adam Thielen’s salary to bonus money, which is expected later this week, the Vikings should have about $6 million left in cap space. That’s about the same amount of money they’ll want to save for signing their draft class and leaving enough of a cushion in training camp.
So the Vikings are about done with the big names in free agency. They’ll still look to fill other spots on the roster with contracts close to the league minimum, but they’re likely done negotiating with top-100 free agents.
They also have begun talks with Smith about extending his contract on a deal that could lower his 2021 cap number, so the team can gain a bit more space, too.
Outlook: Zimmer knows this is an important year for him. He’s had a successful stint in Minnesota, but the pressure is on after missing the playoffs last season, and there could be repercussions if they miss them two years in a row. So Zimmer went out and addressed the team’s two biggest needs on defense. If Zimmer is going down, he’s going to go down by banking on his defense.
He is determined to dramatically improve the unit after saying at the end of last season that the 2020 group was the first bad defense of his entire career. They added one of the premier run stuffers at the start of free agency, then one of the best corners of the last decade. Now it’s time for him to make the defense a top-10 group again.
[Related: The best free agents still available]
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
