Another day brought another Adrian Peterson rumor and this time the running back has been tied to the New England Patriots. A rather late addition to the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes, the Patriots have shown some interest in talking to the former Pro Bowler, though it's not clear just how much they like or want him. The two sides did reportedly meet on Monday afternoon but neither the Patriots or Peterson appear to have made a love connection as ProFootballTalk reports he headed home without a new contract. For now, the Peterson sweepstakes is still ongoing and there still doesn't appear to be an odds-on favorite.
Trying to drive up interest using the New England Patriots
One of the reasons Peterson might have visited New England, despite the fact that a deal was apparently not imminent, is because he wants to stoke interest from other teams. The Green Bay Packers have been rumored to be a suitor for the last few weeks. It's possible the running back has seen talks with the Packers cool off and he hoped a new team entering the mix would ignite new offers. This appears to have already been a tactic Peterson has tried. Earlier this year, he paid a visit to the Seattle Seahawks. The talks between the two teams barely went beyond "nice to meet you." The only problem with this theory is the New England Patriots are rarely the kind of team who are willing to help other teams find their players.
It appears the team had at least a little interest.
New England Patriots trying to build a super team?
The most interesting aspect of these reported contract talks is that if they go anywhere, it would appear the New England Patriots are building themselves quite the juggernaut. The team already acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks earlier this offseason.
With Tom Brady still behind center, getting a running back the caliber of Peterson would make the offense scary good. It's possible thoughts like that will also get the Green Bay Packers and other teams that are biding their time off the sidelines and going after Adrian Peterson a bit harder.
