By signing Watt, Arizona suddenly found themselves short for cash, meaning that they could lose Patrick Peterson. If they do, the Bucs should make a move.
The Arizona Cardinals made a huge splash in free agency by signing one of the most feared defensive linemen in the league, J.J. Watt. Before signing Watt, the Cardinals were already tight in terms of cap space, so the $15.5 million cap hit per year that they guaranteed Watt didn’t help. The Cards are going to have to lose some quality players – players like Patrick Peterson.
There hasn’t been any word on whether or not the Cardinals are going to part ways with Peterson, but by letting him go in free agency, they would free up a lot of cap space. While Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, it’s not inconceivable that the Cardinals would let him walk. They feel very confident with Budda Baker in the secondary.
The Cardinals have already paid Peterson nearly $100 million over his ten years in Arizona, and because of this, both sides can feel good about parting ways. Arizona got the high-quality play out of Peterson and paid him for it, and Peterson established himself as a top cornerback and got paid 100 million dollars to do it. The only thing both sides are missing is a Super Bowl ring.
Whether the Buccaneers can sign Peterson is still unknown, as they are still trying to figure out some free agency signings on their team first, but if the chips fall into place, the Bucs could realistically sign Peterson. While the Cardinals want Peterson back, their cap situation may not allow it.