Adrian Peterson was one of the best running backs in the NFL throughout his 10-year NFL career. Outside of 2014, where he was suspended, and 2016, where he was injured for much of the season, Peterson has been one of the top rushers both in yardage and touchdowns in the league. However, at the age of 32, the Minnesota Vikings decided it was time to move on and the new orleans Saints jumped at the chance to sign Peterson. When talking about Peterson heading into his 11th season in the NFL, Saints head coach Sean Payton said AD has been very impressive.
Adrian Peterson’s career highlights
There are a lot of NFL fans who think that Adrian Peterson is finished. At the age of 32, very few running backs have continued to enjoy success on the field but those fans might not have paid attention to Adrian’s career to now. Peterson was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy as a freshman with the Oklahoma Sooners. In his junior season, Peterson broke his collarbone and never played another down in college.
It didn’t hurt his NFL Draft stock as the Minnesota Vikings used the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft to bring in Adrian Peterson. As a rookie, Peterson broke the single-game rushing record with 296 yards. He finished with 1,341 yards in his rookie campaign.
In 2011, Peterson tore his ACL and MCL. He returned in 2012 and won the NFL MVP by rushing for 2,097 yards. In 2014, the NFL suspended Adrian for child abuse allegations and he returned in 2015 to lead the NFL in rushing again, this time with 1,485 yards.
Now, Adrian Peterson is with the New Orleans Saints. Last season, Peterson only played three games and ran for 72 yards due to a torn meniscus.
If his track record is any indication, this could be a huge year for Peterson.
Peterson and the Saints
Adrian Peterson might have found the perfect home with the New Orleans Saints. For one thing, the Saints have always been a pass-first offense. Drew Brees regularly throws for over 5,000 yards every season and teams can’t stack the line to stop Peterson like they did with the Minnesota Vikings.
Furthermore, Peterson shares the backfield with Mark Ingram, who actually ran himself for 1,043 yards in 2016.
Talk out of the New Orleans Saints camp is that Mark Ingram has looked explosive and is playing great on passing downs. However, Adrian Peterson is still one of the top running backs in the NFL and if the Saints split the carries between the two, it could prolong Peterson’s career and make the Saints more dangerous than they have been in years.
