Veteran Adrian Peterson is raring to prove that he has a lot left in his tank with the arizona cardinals, who acquired the 32-year-old running back from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick. In four games with the Saints, Peterson ran just 27 times for 82 yards. Peterson said, according to NFL.com, that he’s out to prove that he can be a workhorse that can contribute to the Cardinals’ running game. Also, Peterson said he looks to play at least four to five more years to prove critics that he still got what it takes to bring back the glory years that he had with the Minnesota Vikings.
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians believes that Peterson can help boost their running game, saying he grabbed the opportunity of getting the veteran rusher when he became available via trade. Arians added that acquiring Peterson was the best move for the football team moving forward.
Cardinals to start Peterson vs Buccaneers
Arians said Peterson is ready to start when the Cardinals take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Cardinals need a reliable rusher after David Johnson suffered a season-ending wrist injury. The Cardinals signed rusher Chris Johnson after David Johnson went down with the injury but he failed to boost their running game, tallying 114 yards on 45 carries in four games. Currently, the Cardinals are last in the league in rushing yards with 51.8 ground yards per game.
The Cardinals cut Chris Johnson after acquiring Peterson. Earlier, Peterson said the trade to the Cardinals was an answered prayer but clarified that he wasn’t asking for a trade from the Saints.
Before signing a two-year deal worth $7 million with the Saints, Peterson played 10 years with the Vikings. During that time, Peterson became the team’s career rushing leader with 11,747 yards and 97 touchdowns.
In his last year with the team, Peterson played just three games due to a knee injury, limiting his production to just 37 carries for 72 yards and no touchdown.
Saints: Trading Peterson ‘common sense’
Saints head coach Sean Payton said trading Peterson to the Cardinals was done using common sense. Payton said they can afford to play without Peterson as they have two young rushers in Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
Payton told Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune that the trade was an expression of confidence that their two remaining rushers can get the job done even without the veteran Peterson. Despite his unceremonious exit from the Saints, Peterson could still be a productive runner with the Cardinals, according to Payton.
