Terrible news for the Arizona Cardinals, as star cornerback Patrick Peterson has been suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Peterson violated the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, leading to the ban.

Schefter writes that it was originally going to be eight games, but Peterson dropped his appeal to get it reduced to six. Schefter pointed out in a separate tweet that the suspension will cost Peterson nearly $3.9 million in lost salary. It'll have a far greater impact on the field though, where the Cardinals will sorely miss him.

With Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury in the fold, there's been a lot of optimism in the desert about the 2019 season. This will tamp things down for now, and it's a huge blow to new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's defense.

Peterson is still one of the best corners in the league, and he's made the Pro Bowl in eight straight seasons. The former fifth overall pick has always been one of the team's leaders, and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.

He's also been the subject of a bunch of headlines over the past year, as he demanded a trade last season due to the team's dysfunction, then quickly backed down. Trade speculation has again been heating up this offseason, and there's been talk he could be on the move to the Chiefs.

There was also a bizarre incident last month, where it was reported Peterson was “pissed off” by something Cardinals management said to him. In hindsight, it's possible that incident was related to his impending suspension.

Peterson will now be eligible to return on October 20th against the New York Giants. It'll be interesting to see how the new-look Cardinals can weather the storm without him, and it'll be a good test.