Vikings' Harrison Smith: Patrick Peterson is 'significant presence' on and off field

Veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson earned eight Pro Bowl nods and was a three-time First-Team All-Pro during his time with the Arizona Cardinals, which lasted from the 2011 NFL Draft through the 2020 season. Peterson wasn't necessarily the player of old with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2021 campaign but played well enough to receive interest from multiple other clubs before he announced in late March that he was staying with Minnesota for at least one more year. 

Safety Harrison Smith, who has been part of the Vikings since they drafted him in the first round in 2012, spoke with reporters Monday about what Peterson has meant to the organization as a leader both on gamedays and behind the scenes. 

"He’s a significant presence — not only on the field but just in the building, the meeting rooms," Smith said of Peterson, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Kind of being able to be a little bit of a mentor for guys. Like [Chandon Sullivan] was saying, he watched him all the way back from high school.

"I’m older than Pat by like a year, and I feel like I watched him in high school. So, he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time." 

Peterson tallied 45 total tackles, an interception he returned for a touchdown and five pass breakups across 13 games during his first season in Minnesota. He and his teammates will be playing under new head coach Kevin O'Connell and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell later this year.