According to spotrac, two former Pro Bowl players retired this past week. They are cornerback Patrick Peterson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and left tackle Tyron Smith of Moreno Valley, California.
Peterson played 13 National Football League seasons. He spent a decade with the Arizona Cardinals from 2011 to 2020, two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and 2022, and one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. In 201 games, Peterson had 652 combined tackles (571 solo tackles and 81 assisted tackles), 15 tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, 36 interceptions for 408 yards, two touchdowns from interceptions. 122 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries for 155 yards and four sacks.
Peterson’s first career pick six came on November 9, 2014 in a 31-14 Cardinals win over the Los Angeles Rams. It was for 30 yards and put the Cardinals up 24-14 with five minutes and 13 seconds left in the game. Peterson’s second career pick six came on January 9, 2021 in a 31-17 Vikings win over the Chicago Bears. It was for 66 yards and closed the scoring with four minutes and 54 seconds left in the game.
Both of Peterson’s forced fumbles came in victories too. The first came in a 27-3 Cardinals win over the Rams on December 6, 2015, and the second came in a 27-21 Cardinals win over the New York Giants on October 20, 2019.
Peterson was selected to the Pro Bowl for eight straight seasons from 2011 to 2018. He had five fumble recoveries in 2012 which led the NFL.
Smith spent 15 seasons in the NFL. He played 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys from 2011 to 2023, and one season with the New York Jets in 2024. This past season with the Jets, Smith played 10 NFL games. In Smith’s career, he played 171 regular season games, and had two fumble recoveries and one solo tackle. The solo tackle came in a 35-29 Cowboys win over the New England Patriots on October 17, 2021. Smith was selected to eight Pro Bowls. He was honoured seven straight years from 2013 to 2019, and again in 2021.
