Why the Vikings should consider pursuing CB Patrick Peterson this year

Potential as a punt returner

When it came to returning punts during the 2020 campaign, no team in the NFL was worse than the Vikings. Minnesota ranked dead last in the league this past season with an embarrassing average of just 4.3 yards per punt return.

Fixing this aspect of their team was going to be a priority for the Vikings this year already. So why not solve it with a player in Patrick Peterson, who has been one of the top punt returners in the NFL for the last decade?

During his pro career, Peterson has returned 195 punts and averaged 9.3 yards per return. He hasn’t returned one for a touchdown since his rookie season in 2011, but he definitely still has the ability to take one to the house.

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The bad news is that Peterson hasn’t returned a punt since 2018, so it might not be something he’s interested in doing for the remainder of his career. But if Minnesota can convince him to pick up this role once again, then their punt return problems would likely be solved.