Adrian Peterson’s career in the NFL looks like it may be over
By Adam Patrick
The former Minnesota Vikings running back will reportedly be let go by the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, putting his future in the NFL up in the air.
Back in October, after just getting traded to the Arizona Cardinals, Adrian Peterson told reporters that he felt he still had four or five years left of football left in him. Well if that is going to actually become a reality for the 32-year-old running back, it’s not going to be with the Cardinals.
With one year remaining on his current contract, Arizona will reportedly part ways with Peterson sometime this offseason according to 98.7 FM Arizona Sports’ Mike Jurecki.
The former Minnesota Vikings running back appeared in six games for the Cardinals in 2017 before being placed on injured reserve in December with a neck injury. During his time on the field for Arizona last season, Peterson racked up 448 rushing yards (74.7 yards per game) and two touchdowns.
2017 was an odd year for the running back. After being with the Vikings for the first 10 seasons of his NFL career, Peterson began the year with the New Orleans Saints. His fit with the Saints was awkward from the start and it resulted in the running back getting traded to the Cardinals just five weeks into the season.
Minnesota Vikings
With his impending departure from Arizona, is this the end of the road for Peterson in the NFL?
He’s about to turn 33 in March and the running back is coming off the least productive year of his career that wasn’t quickly cut short by an injury or a suspension. After leading the league in 2015 with 1,485 rushing yards, Peterson has gained a total of just 601 yards on the ground in his last two seasons.
Back in his prime, the former Minnesota running back was arguably the best at his position. But his unwillingness to take a lesser role on offense could be what closes the doors on his NFL career.
Peterson still thinks he is capable of being a full-time starter in the league and that just is not the case.
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He could still probably be a great short-yardage specialist for someone if he ever decided to set his ego aside. But no team is going to sign Peterson to be their starting running back anymore and that could leave him looking from the outside in 2018.