Adrian Peterson spent the first 10 years of his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings. He missed almost all of two seasons due to injuries and a suspension in 2014 and 2016 but won the NFL rushing title in 2015 with 1,485 yards and hopes to rebound as well this season with his new team in the New Orleans Saints.
The first game that Adrian Peterson plays with the New Orleans Saints will have special meaning for the running back as well. He will take the field on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, his home crowd for his entire NFL career. According to ESPN, Peterson said he expects cheers from the crowd because of what he did there over his career.
"I don't see why it would be any other way. Being the face of a franchise for so long and giving them everything I got," Peterson said. "I feel like that is respected by the fans."
Adrian Peterson in Minnesota
Adrian Peterson was one of the best running backs in the NFL in his 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings. He won the NFL rushing title three times, running for 1,760 yards in 2008 and then almost breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record in 2012 when he ran for 2,097 yards. He is only two years removed from his last rushing title in 2015.
Peterson ranks 16th in NFL history with 11,747 rushing yards, a number that would be higher if not for the ACL injury and the one-year suspension by the NFL for alleged child abuse claims.
Only Frank Gore ranks ahead of him in total rushing yards for a career.
If Adrian Peterson runs for just 1,000 yards in 2017, he will move past names like Tony Dorsett, Marshall Faulk, Marcus Allen, and Franco Harris on the all-time rushing charts. He did most of that damage with the Minnesota Vikings but looks to add to his numbers with the New Orleans Saints this year.
Peterson in 2017
The chance of Adrian Peterson rushing for 1,000 yards is good but there is the fact that he has to split carries with Mark Ingram, who rushed for 1,000 yards last season as well in New Orleans. However, for the first time in his entire career, Peterson has a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees to take pressure off the rushing game.
It all starts on Monday Night Football and the first team that Adrian Peterson gets to face is the Minnesota Vikings. He has said that he will stick it to them in the game but that wasn't just directed at the Vikings but at every team in the NFL who passed on him while the New Orleans Saints gave him a chance.
"I want to stick it to every team," Peterson said. "I [hope to] have a great performance against all our opponents this season, so that comment wouldn't be anything different than I would say about Green Bay when we played those guys."