The Oakland Raiders could benefit much by acquiring Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is going to be a Free Agent on March 7. The Vikings have already reported that the club will not re-sign the stellar running back due to the money that is expected by Peterson. Of course, many teams will make an offer for Peterson, and who knows how high his offers will go.
Peterson was expecting a whopping $18 million plus bonuses with the Vikings which was refused, making him a free agent. Now, Peterson will expect around the same with offers from other teams as he tends to put up numbers convincingly.
The only thing that puts him in doubt is the fact that he only played three games last year with the Vikings due to a torn meniscus. Now, will the Raiders be willing to pay big bucks for Peterson?
Why would the Oakland Raiders acquire him?
Well, the Raiders could acquire him but only if they lose Latavius Murray. It is believed that Murray will leave the Raiders because he will also be a free agent. The Raiders have not made it clear in keeping the running back—only making $675,000 last season. Obviously, the Raiders would have to vamp up the salary if they try to keep Murray, but Murray is not a superb running back like Peterson.
See, Murray ran in a successful committee last season with rookie DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.
If Murray stays, he would get a better check and would most likely run in the same committee. This running scheme would be successful for the Raiders, but it could be even better with Peterson.
The Raiders have an impressive offensive line, having three Pro Bowlers—left tackle Donald Penn, center Rodney Hudson, and left guard Kelechi Osemele.
For Peterson, this would be a better scenario than what he had with the Vikings. In fact, it would be a very good scenario overall since the Raiders O-line is one of the best.
Obviously, Peterson has produced impressive stats and has many analysts talking about him being a future Hall of Famer. The only thing is that he would obviously be more expensive than keeping Murray. So, if the Oakland Raiders want a better running game than what they had last year, Peterson is the way to go. However, the money could be an issue.
