5 contenders that should sign Adrian Peterson so he can win a ring

Adrian Peterson wants to get a ring before his career is over, and these five teams can give him the chance.

Five years after Adrian Peterson retires, he’ll have a bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He is fifth on the all-time rushing list (14,820 yards), and with 450 yards he’ll pass Barry Sanders for fourth. Peterson has never played in a Super Bowl.

After spending the 2020 campaign with the Detroit Lions, Peterson remains a free agent as the draft approaches. His last 1,000-yard season came with Washington in 2018, and at 35 years old now his days as anything close to a workhorse are over.

During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Peterson laid out what he’s looking for again.

“I’m looking for a contender,” Peterson told SiriusXM NFL Radio, via NFL Media. “I’m looking for a team that’s built to go and chase a championship. That’s my ultimate goal, and I feel like I can really help to contribute in accomplishing that. A team with a good quarterback, a good defense and some playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. For me to be able to get into that type of situation would be perfect.”

Peterson expressed a desire to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in February, but their signing of Giovani Bernard after he was cut by the Bengals takes them out of the market for a veteran running back.

Still, there are some Super Bowl contenders who could give Peterson a chance to win a ring, and possibly even give him a decent role.

5 contenders who can give Adrian Peterson a chance to win a ring

The Colts should be ready to lean into Jonathan Taylor as their workhorse back from the get-go this year. Nyheim Hines is fine pass-catching back, and they also re-signed Marlon Mack. Add in Jordan Wilkins, and running back depth is not an issue here.

Back before they re-signed Mack, Zachary Henshew of Fantasy Pros predicted Peterson would sign with the Colts. The premise was Peterson’s desire to play for a contender, with a bit of a need for Indianapolis in a certain light.

If things go as planned for the Colts this year, Peterson would barely play. But as a further reinforcement against a Taylor injury, there is a possible fit.

In speaking about the possibility the Bills would draft a running back in the first round (No. 30 overall), here’s what general manager Brandon Beane recently said.

"What does his skill set have in comparison to what we have on the roster?” Beane said. “Is this player going to do something … I don’t think either one of our backs are home run hitters, so is there an elite trait that this guy has and says, ‘Man, he’s got something we don’t have.’ That’s probably the conversation, versus, ‘OK, are we going to take the same type of back as Devin, are we gonna take the same type of back Zack? Because even those two guys have different skill sets.”"

The Bills have signed former 49er and Dolphin Matt Breida, and running back depth doesn’t seem to be a problem overall. But with what’s in place, Peterson should see Buffalo as an appealing spot and there’s a path to viable playing time if the Bills are willing to give him a shot.