Peterson refutes Sanders’ belief CB wants out of Cardinals

TEMPE, Ariz. — Patrick Peterson may not want to leave the Arizona Cardinals, but he can’t escape questions about the possibility.

Deion Sanders isn’t helping.

The former NFL star said during ESPN’s “First Take” on Thursday that Peterson was wasting away in the desert. Whether it was from his own experience or hearing things through the grapevine or first-hand evidence — Sanders was too vague to know for sure — he said he believes that Peterson wants to “escape” the Cardinals.

“Trust me. I know,” Sanders added.

Peterson said that’s not the case.

“I can’t control what’s coming out of Deion’s mouth,” the Cardinals cornerback said Thursday. “He’s doing his job. That’s his job to answer questions, and I guess that’s how he felt and that’s what he said. I had nothing to do with that.”

Peterson, of course, admitted in mid-October that frustration had led to trade requests. Two days after that news leaked, he told reporters and released a statement on Twitter to commit to staying and fighting for the Cardinals.

He wouldn’t say whether he would continue feeling the same way after the season. He wanted then to beat the San Francisco 49ers heading into a bye week.

A win over the Niners and three losses later, Arizona is 2-9.

Peterson, who has two years left on his contract after 2018, went further in committing to his long-term future in Arizona on Thursday.

“I want to follow in that man’s shoes,” he said of receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has spent his entire NFL career with Arizona. “He’s been here forever, 15 years, and been a cornerstone of this Arizona Cardinals organization. I feel like I’m next in line. We’ll see what happens.

“It would definitely be special,” he added of remaining with one team for his entire career. “When I got picked fifth overall, that’s something I wanted to bring to this city. That’s still my goal, that’s still the end result I’m looking for here as an Arizona Cardinal.”

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