Last month, Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson said he won’t hold out while an extension to his contract is negotiated. On Monday, Peterson reaffirmed that he’s a man of his word.
After missing most of the Cardinals’ organized team activities this offseason, Peterson said he will report for Arizona’s mandatory veteran minicamp which starts Tuesday morning.
“Like I told you guys, I won’t hold out so we got that done,” Peterson told ESPN Monday night. “I will be there ... be there full tilt ready to roll, taking that final step into camp.”
Peterson’s agent, Joel Segal, and the Cardinals are still negotiating an extension to his rookie contract, which expires after the 2015 season.
Peterson said he missed OTAs because he was spending time with his wife, Antonique, a medical student whose free time is a rare commodity these days.
“My wife having free time is not like me having free time,” Peterson said. “It’s something that’ just rare with having a busy schedule as she does.”
But Peterson said he’s kept tabs on how the Cardinals have performed during offseason practices, specifically the improvements of younger players.
“Hearing some of the good things about (wide receiver) John Brown, (linebacker) Kevin Minter, (defensive lineman) Ed Stinson,” Peterson said. “The way those guys are making progressions day in and day out, I think that’s huge for us. Coach (Bruce Arians) says it all the time -- he preaches it -- ‘I want to be able to play young guys. I want to be able to lean on you guys to help this team.’”