Photos: Patrick Peterson through the years

Kent Somers | The Republic | azcentral.com

Patrick Peterson came to work and live in Arizona eight years ago, and during that time it’s been rare to see him without a smile.

A cynic would attribute a large portion of Peterson’s happiness to the $75 million or so the Cardinals have paid the cornerback. But the truth is, Peterson is a happy person by nature, almost nauseatingly so to those who aren’t.

That apparently, however, has changed, given a couple of episodes over the past six months or so. And the question, “What’s up with Pat P?” lingers.

It started with his trade request midway through last season, which caught first-year (and only year) coach Steve Wilks unaware. It was an odd maneuver by Peterson, who as a captain and the second-highest paid player on the team, had a duty to bail water, not abandon a sinking ship.

After a few days and a meeting with team President Michael Bidwill, Peterson recanted.

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“I have always given my all to the Cardinals organization, my teammates and fans,” he wrote in a statement delivered on Twitter. “That is what I intend to do for the years to come.”

If not dead, whatever issue Peterson had with the organization seemed dormant.

Until a couple weeks ago when Peterson posted cryptic messages on Instagram.

“I see where we stand.”

“My boys told me to watch out for snakes in the grass.”

To the latter, former teammate Darnell Dockett, no stranger to making a trade demand and somewhat of a reptile expert, responded: “No surprise to me. I seen it all….all that (s--t) be fake.”

Peterson’s response: “Preach.”

It’s about the last we’ve heard from Peterson, who did not return messages left during the last week. A source close to him told me someone in team management said something to Peterson that irritated him. The source declined to say more.

So we’re left to guess at what Peterson was upset about this time.

Michael Chow/The Republic

His contract? He has two years remaining and is scheduled to make $11 million this season and $12 million next.

Maybe Peterson, 28, wants an extension and the Cardinals put him off.

His participation in voluntary workouts?

Peterson’s attendance hasn’t been perfect, and he played in a charity golf tournament during a voluntary minicamp last month.

Maybe someone in management noted to Peterson that a team leader usually shows up to such things, and that ticked him off.

If that’s the case, Peterson had a right to be upset, because he’s not required to be there. And since he’s made the Pro Bowl the past seven years as a cornerback, Peterson likely knows well what’s required to prepare for a season.

Overall, however, the two episodes over the past six months are signs that Peterson’s relationship with the Cardinals is not as healthy as it once was.

The reason for it might be nothing more than the shell that protects Peterson’s feelings is thin and brittle. While upbeat most of the time, Peterson is immensely prideful, and like many elite athletes, takes affront at the slightest of slights.

A year ago, for instance, Peterson was unhappy that he wasn't named an All-Pro for a third time at cornerback.

He missed the broader perspective: Being selected as an All-Pro is hard.

Former Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams did it only three times. He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald has done it only once. He will be in the Hall of Fame five years after he retires.

Through the two dust-ups over the past six months, the Cardinals have been adamant they are not going to trade Peterson. That makes sense, at least for now, because the Cardinals are better with Peterson than without, provided Peterson is behind the plan for improving upon last year’s 3-13 record.

Rob Schumacher/The Republic

The Cardinals aren’t going to trade Peterson just to make him happy, so he will be on the roster in 2019. As for 2020, that’s far from certain.

Peterson will be entering the final year of a five-year extension he signed in 2014. The Cardinals did the right thing back then, re-signing Peterson who had two years left on his rookie deal.

A year from now, the right thing to do might be to trade Peterson while he has great value. And the move would also would free $12.6 million of salary-cap space.

So much depends upon what happens this season.

Does coach Kliff Kingsbury turn the Cardinals around?

Does rookie quarterback Kyler Murray look like he can help the Cardinals return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015?

Will winning make Peterson happy? Or is there something more behind his recent cryptic messages on social media?

It’s just another reason to suggest that while the Cardinals might not be good in 2019, they will at least be interesting.

Reach Kent Somers at Kent.Somers@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @kentsomers. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Hear Somers every Monday between 4 and 4:30 p.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.

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