Patrick Peterson Suspended Six Games For Violating PED Policy

Patrick Peterson has been the subject of some trade rumors over the last few months, but it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be going anywhere now. Adam Schefter reports Peterson will be suspended for the first six games of the 2019 NFL season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Peterson is a huge part of the Cardinals’ defense, and will be missed immensely during his absence. Fortunately, they aren’t really looking to win this year. Peterson’s value was to come mostly in the form of veteran mentorship to guys like Byron Murphy, the team’s second pick in this year’s draft. He may not provide what the team is looking for in that department after this suspension.

The biggest impact could come in the form of Peterson’s trade value sinking quickly. Peterson hasn’t been as good in the last two years, but he’s still in the upper echelon of cornerbacks around the league, and retains enough athleticism to be a threat to take an interception to the house. After his suspension, it’s unlikely any team will trade for his services before the season starts. After the fact, any prospective team will have two weeks to determine if Peterson is back to football shape before pulling the trigger, making a trade pretty unlikely.

It’s a disappointing announcement for Peterson, who had gone up to this point with no performance-enhancing drug issues in his career. If the Cardinals were truly planning on trading him, they’re very unhappy right about now. At this point, if they’re to try and get anything for him, it’ll be a late-round pick at best, a far cry from equal value for a talented player.