How Close Were Cowboys to Signing All-Pro DB Peterson?

GLENDALE, Ariz. - We wrote back in March that the then-secondary-needy Dallas Cowboys "touched base'' with Patrick Peterson. And now Peterson himself is confirming our report.

Peterson, the Arizona Cardinals star, entered the NFL as the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of LSU and became a three-time First-Team All-Pro (in 2011, 2013 and 2015) and an eight-time Pro Bowler (most recently in 2018). Before Dallas ended up drafting two cornerbacks in premium rounds a month later, Peterson's people and the Cowboys were in contact. ... as Peterson himself is now noting.

We were told Peterson had a three-team wish list, and that it included the Cardinals.

Were the Cowboys on it? We know he was on Dallas' exploratory list, as according to our guy "Skywalker Steele,'' there had been contact between Dallas and the Peterson camp before his eventual signing with the Minnesota Vikings.

As a cornerback, some think Peterson’s skills are in somewhat of a decline; it's probably not wise to expect him to be a "shutdown corner'' anymore. Nevertheless, all things considered in a Dallas secondary, with young Trevon Diggs atop the depth chart, Peterson could've helped ... at least before Dallas drafted Kelvin Joseph in Round 2 and Nahshon Wright in Round 3.

The greatest obstacle to any serious Dallas pursuit here was, we thought, always going to be about finance; Peterson had essentially been a $14 million APY cornerback. But the Vikings offered just a one-year, $8 million contract, and Peterson agreed to it.

So he's got his new team, hoping the Vikings are playoff-bound. And the Cowboys come away happy with how the draft worked ... and hope for the same thing.