Forget Rolexes, presents and cash ... Patrick Peterson just paid his new teammate for jersey #7 in a WAY cooler fashion -- making a sweet donation to the guy's former high school!
The new Minnesota Vikings corner -- who rocked #7 during his college days at LSU -- wanted to sport the digit in his first year away from the Arizona Cardinals this season.
The problem? Quarterback Nate Stanley already had the number ... and Peterson didn't want to just railroad the 2nd-year man for the uniform.
So, Peterson made a trade .