ESPN: Cardinals’ Peterson, Reddick among free agents with most to gain

The remaining six regular season games could prove large financially for a pair of Arizona Cardinals defenders.

That’s the takeaway from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who included veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebacker Haason Reddick in his list of pending free agents with the most to gain or lose financially.

Both Peterson and Reddick are unrestricted free agents at season’s end, with Peterson’s five year, $70 million deal that he signed in 2014 soon coming to an end.

Reddick, meanwhile, is in the final season of a four year, $13.4 million contract that he signed with the Cardinals in 2017.

Barnwell believes that Peterson’s next deal will vary widely, based on how well he’s able to contain opposing receivers down the stretch.

“The veteran corner still has days in which he looks like the guy who started his career with eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, but he’s not that guy every week,” Barnwell writes of Peterson.

“Peterson’s play over the remainder of the season could define his pay bracket on his upcoming deal. If he excels and helps the Cards make a deep playoff run, he should be able to net something north of the three-year, $50.5 million deal Darius Slay signed with the Eagles. If he struggles, teams might see a cornerback turning 31 with a PED suspension in his past and offer something more like Chris Harris Jr.’s two-year, $17 million pact.”

So far this season, Peterson has three interceptions and six passes defended after coming off back-to-back seasons with two interceptions apiece.

Peterson’s career-high for interceptions is seven, which he set in his sophomore season in the NFL in 2012. He has 28 picks during his 148 games in the league.

Reddick has already registered a career-best five sacks this year, to go with 40 tackles and three pass defended.

Barnwell believes the 2017 first-round draft pick has turned his free agency prospects in a positive direction thanks to the way he’s responded to being used as a pass rusher now that Chandler Jones is out for the year with a biceps injury.

“Another 2017 first-rounder who had his fifth-year option declined, Reddick spent his first three seasons with the Cardinals struggling to turn his athleticism into reliable defensive performance,” Barnwell said. “Arizona had moved Reddick around as an off-ball linebacker, but in 2020, it has basically turned him into a full-time edge rusher.

“The results have been impressive, as Reddick has five sacks and nine knockdowns, although he hasn’t had a sack in his past three games. With Chandler Jones out for the season, the Cardinals have needed to rely on Reddick as one of their anchors in getting after the quarterback. If he can make noise over the remainder of the season, teams could see the Temple standout as a buy-low option at a position that is perennially tough to fill. Fortunately for Reddick, even buy-low edge rushers typically come in north of $10 million per season.”

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