Adrian Peterson rumors: Top 3 landing spots
By Josh Hill
Adrian Peterson is a free agent again but where is the best fit for the former All-Pro runner?
There once was a time when the idea of Adrian Peterson hitting free agency would have been met with insane fanfare. Teams would have rolled out the red carpet to try and lure one of the best running backs in the history of football to their franchise.
Now, Peterson enters free agency for the second time in his career with little more than a whimper. On a day where names like Paul Richardson and Taylor Gabriel are making headlines with new deals, Peterson was quietly released by the Arizona Cardinals — his third team in two years.
All indications are that Peterson intends to continue playing, but it’s unclear where that will be. Last year he wasn’t as hot a commodity as we thought he might be, and he’s even less so this winter. There are fits for him, however, it’s all about finding the right one.
Best Fits
1. New England Patriots
Color everyone unimpressed with this fit. It’s a cliche to say Veteran Player X will sign with the Patriots, but it’s also not the craziest thing in the world. Like how all superstar baseball players all eventually play for the Yankees, most NFL legends who get cut eventually end up in the Patriots rumor mill. Peterson was rumored to be a target for the Patriots last season but no deal was ever done. It’s hard to see him being attractive a year older than he was in 2017, but Bill Belichick has a way of getting the best out of any player no matter his age.
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2. Oakland Raiders
If Jon Gruden is really hellbent on turning the clock back to 1998, then Adrian Peterson is a no-brainer. Oakland would have two of the oldest running backs in football between Peterson and Marshawn Lynch but would have the best duo if this were 2012. Gruden’s offense using Peterson would either be something that catastrophically failed or work in such a fantastical way that we’d be forced to acknowledge how wrong we were. There’s no middle ground with Peterson in Oakland, only extremes.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
This isn’t as crazy an idea as you may think, even if it sounds like it could be disastrous. One of the problems with Peterson in New Orleans is he was the third wheel to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Le’Veon Bell is clearly the unchallenged starter in Pittsburgh, but Peterson could fill the role DeAngelo Williams had during his final years with the Steelers. Peterson used as a compliment to Bell sounds like something that would give defenses headaches, and more importantly sounds like something that could work because the Steelers have an actual offensive line. Success in Pittsburgh could possibly send off one of the greatest running backs to ever play the game with more fanfare and success than would be the case now.