NFL News: Adrian Peterson, New England Patriots partnership looking bleak
Veteran RB still looking for his next team
The Adrian Peterson free agency tour made a stop in New England but he left without a contract after visiting the Patriots’ camp. This means that the veteran running back remains being a free agent and will continue to search for his next team in the next few weeks.
Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football is reporting that Peterson and the Patriots couldn’t agree to a deal after the Monday visit.
The Minnesota Vikings, which is the only team Peterson has played for in his NFL career, released the veteran RB in February and allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA). The Vikings had the option to stick with Peterson for another season but chose not to pick up the team option on the RB’s contract.
Aside from his recent visit to New England, Peterson has also met with the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other teams like the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers have also been linked to the seven-time NFL Pro Bowler.
Earlier in the offseason, Peterson commented that Giant’s rosters moves, which fueled the speculations that New York could be one of his free agency destinations. Peterson recently had a workout with Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston and Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter was appreciative of the visit.
But same as his visit with the Patriots, the veteran running back could not lock down a deal with the Bucs after the meeting.
During his prime, Peterson was one of the most dangerous running backs in the league. However, his play has dropped in recent years as he struggled with injuries and lost his starring role with the Vikings.
Peterson signing with the Patriots makes sense because New England head coach Bill Belichick is known for tapping veterans and making them effective in the Patriots’ system. Over the years, there have been senior NFL players who signed up with the Patriots and still helped the team to win Super Bowl titles.
It’s likely that NFL teams, which were visited by Peterson, are worried about the running back’s injury history that no deal has been made so far. It’s not known what kind of contract Peterson is demanding but he lost $23.9 million after the Vikings released him earlier this offseason.
Adrian Peterson saw limited games in the 2016 season playing just three games due to various injuries. Peterson’s last good year came the year before when he played in 16 regular season games and recorded 1,485 rushing yards on 327 carries with 11 rushing touchdowns.
