NFL Rumors: Dallas Cowboys would pursue Adrian Peterson

Now that Adrian Peterson is available, the Dallas Cowboys may not be able to resist signing him.

In one of the more obvious moves of the NFL offseason, the Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday they will not pick up their 2017 contract option on running back Adrian Peterson. General manager Rick Spielman seemed to leave the door open for bringing Peterson back, but it’s far more likely the soon-to-be 32-year old back finishes his career elsewhere.

Peterson has named the New York Giants, Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as teams he’d like to play for, with a tweet regarding the Giants’ cap-cutting moves a couple weeks ago. The Oakland Raiders are also a possible landing spot for Peterson, but a team with some past interest may resurface now.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones “would pursue’ Peterson if he’s still available at the start of free agency on Mar. 9. Running back is not a big need with Ezekiel Elliott in place atop the depth chart in Dallas, but Jones would be interested in pairing Peterson with Elliott.

Peterson could find a starting role somewhere, but leaving aside his name recognition he’s a limited back with little place in today’s NFL offenses. If this were two or three years ago the Cowboys would be a great fit, with a balanced offense and a great offensive line, but Peterson is clearly not the back he was even then. More importantly, Jones has ceded some power within the Cowboys’ organization and the sway of Peterson’s perceived star appeal would likely carry no weight with anyone else.

Peterson seems sure to find a limited market for his services, even in a fairly thin free agent running back class. But the Cowboys also can’t offer him anything close to the role he surely seeks with his next team. So it’s hard to see a clear match, unless playing for a Super Bowl-contending team trumps everything else for Peterson.

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