Adrian Peterson to the Saints, sets up glorious matchup with the Vikings

The former Minnesota Vikings running back has reportedly agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

When the Minnesota Vikings open the 2017 regular season on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints, a familiar face will be on the field. But this time he will be standing on the visiting sideline.

Early Tuesday, news of running back Adrian Peterson signing a contract with the Saints became a reality.

Peterson’s deal with New Orleans will reportedly pay him $7 million over two years, with $3.5 million of that guaranteed.

The running back released also released a statement on Tuesday to describe his excitement about not being jobless in 2017.

"“I am excited to be joining the New Orleans Saints. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. Most importantly, I chose this team because it just felt right within my spirit. Additionally, my wife and family added their confirmation with the same feelings. On offense, it goes without saying that the Saints are really solid behind Drew Brees. I feel like my skill set can make them even more dominant as a unit. They have a great offensive line, which is something that stood out to me as well. I could tell from talking to head coach Sean Payton over the last two weeks that he did his due diligence in evaluating how I could contribute. I also did a lot of homework on the defense as well. While I know that injuries have played a role in performance, I also see areas of potential with a lot of younger guys having the ability to step up. Lastly, it goes without saying that the Saints have an amazing fan base and I look forward to making them proud and creating everlasting memories.”– Adrian Peterson"

Minnesota’s opening week matchup with New Orleans just got a whole lot more interesting.

How will Vikings fans react when he steps on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Saints’ black and gold for the first time? A mixture of boos and cheers would be the best bet right now, but nothing malicious should be expected.

Next: Five Vikings with the most to prove in 2017

Get ready for an annoying amount of coverage over the next few months relating to Peterson’s return to Minnesota which will likely result in a classic Mike Zimmer tirade telling reporters he is fed up with answering questions about the former Vikings running back.