Adrian Peterson agrees to two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints

Former  Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

Well how about this for some early Tuesday morning news? Adrian Peterson, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, will now dig his cleats into New Orleans. The news coming down bright and early that the running back is officially signing with the Saints on a two-year deal.

Josina Anderson has been on top of the story all morning and confirmed the news on her Twitter account. The Saints wanted Peterson to play at least two years and that’s what he has signed on to do. And the sparkling gem, as you’ll see above courtesy of Adam Schefter, is that the Saints will face Peterson’s former team in the opening week on Monday Night Football.

While he has struggled with injuries the past couple of seasons, he should prove to be a big help to Mark Ingram on offense, now that Tim Hightower has moved on to San Francisco. ESPN has a report on the terms that he has agreed to at this point.

The total value of this two-year deal is $7 million. For 2017, he will make $3.5 million that was guaranteed at signing and includes a nice $2.5 million signing bonus. In 2018, his paycheck will be worth $3.5 million, although none of that is guaranteed. It also includes per-game roster bonuses and a workout bonus as well.

But for Peterson, he’s just excited to get a chance at new opportunities. He also took into consideration his family with the decision, as he is from the Houston area and New Orleans is a straight shot east on I-10.

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It will initially be weird to see Peterson in a Saints jersey, as he spent a solid decade under the purple threads of the Vikings. But if he stays healthy and can contribute, New Orleans could be in for an interesting year. And for those wondering, that Week 1 matchup against his former team will be on September 11 in Minnesota.