Top 5 Intriguing Landing Spots for Adrian Peterson
Last month, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to ultimately cut ties with Former-MVP RB Adrian Peterson by choosing not to pick up his $18M option for the upcoming 2017 season. Peterson has not generated as much interest as an Unrestricted Free Agent as expected, and multiple reports indicate that it is due to his high contract request of $8M per year. That being said, "All Day" will be taking hand-offs from somebody's quarterback next year, whether the team conforms to Peterson's requests or Peterson lowers his asking price. There have been many different reports claiming that a new team as interest in the 32-year old back and and not long after, claims that that team is out of the Adrian Peterson sweepstakes. But he's gotta sign with somebody, and these 5 teams make for some intriguing destinations.
5) Dallas Cowboys
Adrian Peterson has never been shy about his desire to play for his home state of Texas. In 2014, an ESPN profile on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discovered that Peterson and the Cowboys had mutual interest in each other. Now, that was of course before they drafted RB Ezekiel Elliott, who turned out to be a rookie phenom, finishing as a first-team All-Pro and breaking many team rookie rushing records, landing him as the runner up to teammate QB Dak Prescott as The Associated Press' Offensive Rookie of the Year.
So why would the Cowboys still want to add Peterson? Obviously, that two-headed monster in the backfield will instill fear in all opposition. But to dig deeper than that, perhaps AP could take a mentoring role with Zeke, who's already gotten into some off-field situations since being drafted 4th overall by Dallas in the 2016 NFL Draft. At this point, Peterson's Texas homecoming is highly unlikely. His salary requests won't be able to be met by the Cowboys' current cap situation. Plus, the Cowboys haven't expressed much interest in Peterson since the beginning of free agency. In all likelihood, the only way this happens is if Peterson is willing to take a major pay cut and take somewhere in the area of $3M per year. But if he gives in and agrees to that, Dallas is a very interesting landing spot for the future Hall-of-Famer.
4) New England Patriots
With money reportedly being a significant issue to every team thought to be in the AP "sweepstakes", the Patriots may not be affected by that issue. It was reported in early March that Peterson "would consider discount to play for Patriots", who currently have about $21M in cap space. Instead of the $8M Peterson seems to be asking for, a 2-year $8M deal ($4M/yr) could make a lot of sense for the Patriots whose championship window is now more open than it's ever been, though closing quickly (despite Tom Brady's claims that he can play another 7 years). The Patriots do have Dion Lewis and James White at RB to go along with newly signed Rex Burkhead, but none of them seem poised to receive a high number of carries (Lewis and White both have most of their success as a pass-catching back). LeGarrette Blount led the league in rushing TDs last year for the Patriots, but now an unrestricted free agent, the Patriots don't appear willing to offer him the big bucks he wants, and perhaps deserves.
Using Adrian Peterson as a 2-down back and Lewis on 3rd down, along with both Burkhead and White mixed in as well, could make for stellar production out of the backfield to compliment their lethal passing attack. This doesn't seem likely, but if Peterson really is serious about his willingness to take a pay-cut to play in New England, anything can happen.
3) Green Bay Packers
After Eddie Lacy packed his bags (along with his menus of every Chinese restaurant in the area) and headed west to Seattle, he left Green Bay with significant question marks at the running back position. The 267-pound Alabama product had some success in Green Bay, but was plagued with injuries in 2016, playing in only 5 games all season. Converted WR Ty Montgomery was their main RB during that time and he was decent, but it wouldn't be ideal for them to go into the 2017 season without a better option. They could explore the free agency market and come away with an Adrian Peterson or perhaps a LeGarrette Blount, or of course they could address the position via the NFL Draft.
AP makes sense for the Packers and the Packers make sense for AP. Wisconsin is right next to Minnesota, so it's not a huge ordeal for his family to get up and move one state over. The Packers need to utilize the ground-and-pound game more than they do, and a Peterson/Montgomery combination would be a perfect compliment to their elite passing attack. With about $22M in cap space, they can afford to hand over $6-8M per year to Peterson if they choose to do so. The Packers considered pursuing the former-rival earlier in Free Agency, but when asked about Peterson as an option at a press conference, Packers GM Ted Thompson wouldn't reveal much.
"We don't talk about players that are not on our team," he said. The Packers have definitely mulled over the idea of signing the former MVP, and if they do, expect them to go all out on defense in the Draft.
2) New York Giants
Back in January, Adrian Peterson made an appearance on ESPN's "First Take" and discussed his plans for the future. When asked about where he would like to play if he was cut loose by the Vikings, which he was, he listed off a few teams - most noticeably the Giants. The Giants averaged only 19 points per game this past season, ranking 27th in the league. Much of that was due to an inept run game. The offensive line along with a lack of talent at the RB position were the cause of this. Signing G/T D.J. Fluker will help the line a bit, along with any additions they make in the draft, but they still need a reliable RB to pair up with Paul Perkins and pass-catching threat Shane Vereen in the backfield alongside Eli Manning. When asked about the possibility of bringing in Peterson, head coach Ben McAdoo responded with a vague "never say never," refusing to rule out the possibility but not necessarily endorsing it either. Cap space is the main issue here, as the Giants have just about $9M available at the moment, and they need to reserve space to sign their draft picks. Alongside that, star WR Odell Beckham Jr., OG Justin Pugh and Center Weston Richburg are a few of the Giants upcoming free agents, who will be a priority to resign. The most likely case for this would be a contract similar to recently signed WR Brandon Marshall's, who signed for 2 years and $11M dollars, with all $5.5M guaranteed in the 1st year. As nice of a signing as this would be for Big Blue, it seems fairly unlikely due to their cap situation.
1) Oakland (Las Vegas) Raiders
Just days ago, it was all but confirmed that the Oakland Raiders are going to be relocating to Las Vegas... in a couple years. They will continue to play in Oakland for 2 more years until their new stadium is built. So what better way to say farewell to their Oakland fan base than to go out with a bang... or perhaps a ring? After RB Latavius Murray left the team for Minnesota in free agency, the Raiders have been scouting the market for his replacement. If going go "All-In" is on the team's agenda, signing "All-Day" is a great move. With reports of retired Seahawk RB Marshawn "Beastmode" Lynch possibly coming out of retirement and the Raiders having interest, that suggests they are in fact willing to go all-in, and that they are looking to address the hole at RB. Their $31M+ available cap room is plenty to make a move like this. Peterson wants to play for a contender, the Raiders have a desperate need for a RB, and the franchise appears ready to make a splash. Peterson to Oakland makes perfect sense to me, and on a 2-year deal (perhaps for $12-16M total), AP can become an unrestricted free agent by the time the Raiders relocate. To me, this is the move that makes the most sense for both sides, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up happening.
Other Possible Landing Spots:
Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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