The clock will soon be ticking now that Adrian Peterson is entering free agency. Adrian “All Day” Peterson could retire today and be an NFL Hall of Famer. Peterson holds the record for most rushing yards in a game, as he ran for 296 yards on Nov. 4, 2007.
Peterson also had an MVP season in a passing era when he ran for the second-most yards in a single season back in 2012. He ran for 2,097 yards coming off a gruesome knee injury in which he tore his ACL and his MCL along with straining his LCL.
Peterson has run for a total 11,747 yards in his career in just 123 games. He has a career average of 4.9 yards per carry and 95.5 yards per game which ranks third all-time behind Jim Brown and Barry Sanders. Peterson is going to generate a lot of interest in free agency even though he turns 32 on March 21.
Not many running backs produce after the age of 30 but Adrian Peterson could be the exception. His work ethic is legendary and he will be a valuable asset to any team in contention. Here are a few teams who will be in the running for Peterson and make sense for both parties.
Minnesota Vikings
Peterson released this statement to ESPN after hearing his option would not be picked up, and said there’s still a chance he lands with the Vikings.
“It’s been a great 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings,” Peterson said. “They know what I bring to the organization as a player, with my work ethic and dedication. The door is still open to find some common ground.”
Peterson went on to say he will look at other opportunities, and that his primary focus is winning a Super Bowl.
He says the door is still open and that the main goal is to win a championship in which he believes the Vikings are capable. The Vikings need Adrian Peterson at the running back position. Matt Asiata is also a free agent and that means the Vikings current running backs are Jerick McKinnon, C.J. Ham and Bishop Sankey. McKinnonn has shown promise but isn’t going to be a feature back for a contending team.
The Vikings went from about 22 million in cap room to approximately 38 million in cap space by declining Peterson’s option. Peterson knows the Vikings will be working hard to bolster the offensive line. If he is willing to see that taking somewhere between eight to 10 million will allow him to finish his career in Minnesota with a top five defense to carry the team.
Oakland Raiders
If Derek Carr didn’t go down with a broken leg, the postseason may have played out differently. The Raiders are going to be contenders and they have a great offense. The Raiders have let go of Latavius Murray and are in need of a running back. Peterson would be a great fit in the Black Hole.
The Raiders have one of the best offensive lines in all of football as Pro Football Focus ranked them the fourth-best offensive line. Joining the Raiders would give Peterson a great offensive line and a great young quarterback that defenses have to respect. This would open up the running game for Peterson.
The Raiders will have 48 million in cap space allowing for tons of flexibility. They could throw more money at Adrian Peterson then most teams if they believe he is the piece that takes them from contender to champion.
The Raiders also have a young defense that continues to get better. A young strong defense and a solid offensive line with playmakers all over the offense is what makes the Raiders such an attractive option for Adrian Peterson.
New York Giants
Adrian Peterson’s tweets are a good indication of just how interested he is in the Giants. He likes the moves they are making. They have also proven that they can win a Super Bowl as their quarterback has won two. The Giants also let go of starting running back Rashad Jennings leaving the door open for a guy like Peterson to fill that void.
New York fills the contender criteria Peterson is looking for and lack the depth at the running back position. They also have 14 million in cap space available to bring him in. New York has a young defense that is continuing to get better. There is a common theme with the teams that would be a good fit for A.P.
A good defense that can help a team win a Super Bowl and an offense that is capable of playing well around Peterson. The one thing that might hurt the Giants is their offensive line which was ranked 20th by Pro Football Focus. Why leave Minnesota with a suspect offensive line to go to another contender with the same problem? The difference is the Vikings have the cap room to improve the line while the Giants are more limited.
Adrian is tweeting about the Giants which means he is interested. It will take a lot for the Giants to get A.P. but they are one of the teams with a legitimate shot at doing so.
Dallas Cowboys
The hometown team is always in play. It does not matter that they have Ezekiel Elliot. Jerry Jones has made bold moves in the past and this surely would be a bold move. Could you imagine a one-two punch of Elliot and Peterson? Jerry Jones can, which is why the Cowboys are one of the favorites.
They are attractive to Peterson for three reasons. First, as mentioned already, they are his hometown team and he grew up a Cowboys fan. He has been on record in the past saying he would love to play in Texas if he ever had to leave Minnesota. Second, they have a great offensive line ranked second by Pro Football Focus. Lastly, they are a contender. They made the playoffs last season and have a good, young quarterback.
It makes sense for the Cowboys because spelling Ezekiel Elliot with Adrian Peterson would be legendary. Both backs could potentially have a 1,000-yard season. Elliot had numerous runs in which he would go untouched for 10 or more yards and if Peterson got into that open field he could bust a lot of long runs into touchdowns.
The Cowboys cap space is where the issue may lie. They only have $4.3 million in available. Dallas has an opportunity to free up cap space by releasing Tony Romo. Releasing Romo would make eight million in cap space available. If that is enough to sign Peterson, Jerry Jones will give it some thought.
Prediction
It is hard to imagine the Vikings not finding a way to get a new deal done. Peterson will test the market but once he realizes his value is much lower than he’d like he is going to look at the Vikings and see three things. First, he is familiar with the organization and can remain comfortable without relocating. Second, he himself sees the Vikings as a contender which is what he wants most and the Vikings defense can help him win a Super Bowl. Lastly, he will most likely get the most money from the Vikings because they know him and will value loyalty.
In the end, Peterson is a Viking and will alway be a Viking even if he decides to start a new chapter.
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles written by other great TGH writers along with Matthew!