If Adrian Peterson were to depart from the Minnesota Vikings this off-season, the long-time All-Pro running back listed a few destination points as far as where he’d like to play next season.
Two of which were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans. The other: the New York Giants.
It makes sense for Adrian Peterson to want to play for them, as the Giants have become one of the better teams in the NFC again, have Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. in the offense and with him there, he could be one of the featured backs in the offense.
Plus, it’s a superstar coming into New York; he’d be an instant hit as far as celebrity status goes.
[Doug]
But for those fans who are salivating and trying to pre-order their custom Adrian Peterson jerseys on NFL Shop; hold on there and lets back up for a few minutes.
Peterson will be 32 in March, and for NFL terms, that’s old. In running back terms, that’s really old. The Giants already have two veteran running backs on their roster in Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen and the Giants will have to make decisions on them for next season.
The Giants have been trying to go in a younger direction as far as the construction of their roster goes with most players being added are under the age of 29. Just at an age stance, Peterson really doesn’t fit. Five years ago? Probably. 10 years ago? Of course. Now? Not really.
If the age thing doesn’t scare you, the injury issue should. Adrian Peterson missed 13 games in the 2016 season due to a knee injury; an issue that could lead to Minnesota deciding to release him and the $11.75 million left on his contract. Because there wouldn’t be any dead cap money for Minnesota to cut Peterson, it makes too much sense for them to not release him if he didn’t re-work his deal with the team.
While he was dominant in 2015, leading the league in rushing with 1,485 yards, he’s a risk as an older back. In the last three seasons, he’s played a total of four games. Sure, the 2014 season wasn’t an injury season, but he still got older and older running backs aren’t exactly hot commodities.
[Sean2]
Think of it as buying a used car when you get a veteran running back on the free-agent market; a lot of mileage on the legs, a lot of wear and tear on the body and it being only a matter of time before they break down; the Jets found this out the hard way when they signed an older LaDainian Tomlinson several years ago and was a shell of the player he once was; same with when the Arizona Cardinals signed Emmitt Smith many years back.
If not for age and potential injuries, then how about need. Bottom line; the Giants don’t need Adrian Peterson.
The Giants already have Paul Perkins who showed signs of being a possible feature back late in the season, plus they have Vereen and Jennings. A 32-year-old running back isn’t exactly a high priority.
Fixing the offensive line is a priority, probably the biggest one for them, for the Giants. Re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins is a priority, especially for the sake of their top-ranked defense. Adding Peterson is not.
So for those who may have gotten excited to see Peterson express interest in the Giants; it’s nice, but don’t expect it to happen for next season.