Adrian Peterson not happy with the disrespect of NFL running backs

The former Minnesota Vikings running back recently spoke on the current state of his position group.

During his time with the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson was able to develop into one of the best running backs to ever step on an NFL field. Peterson set numerous league and team records that have cemented a path for him to eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

Currently, the former Vikings running back is a member of the Washington Redskins, a team he’s suited up for since the 2018 season. At 35-years-old, most would assume Peterson is potentially entering his final season in the NFL, but he indicated recently that he’s not interested in retiring anytime soon.

During his tenure in the league, he has had the opportunity to watch the running back position transform in value. However, Peterson has noticed the value of his position trending down recently and it’s not something he’s very happy about.

The former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro thinks current running backs are disrespected.

Peterson knows what it’s like to be regarded as the absolute best running back in the NFL and he also knows how financially rewarding it can be. However, he is actually one of the few running backs in the history of the league to be highly compensated for his work on the field.

In today’s NFL, Peterson’s position group is no longer seen as a smart investment by some, and the former Minnesota running back was recently asked by TMZ about this so-called trend. He didn’t hold back on his feelings.

"“It’s disrespectful to be honest with you. It really is.I think the change is going to come. Me and Frank Gore continue to show guys, ‘Hey, we are valuable. We can have 10, 14-year careers as well, so value us as well like you would value a quarterback, you know?’These young core of backs are really changing the game for the better. I feel like you’re going to continue to get guys like that, that’s going to help raise the value of the running back position.”"

Interestingly enough, the Vikings are currently in the middle of attempting to negotiate an extension with running back Dalvin Cook. Minnesota and Cook haven’t been able to agree on anything yet, but the team’s current top back is just looking to get paid a reasonable amount.

Back during the earlier part of Peterson’s career, the Vikings ended up giving him a six-year extension worth $85.28 million. When factoring in the increase in salary cap since he signed this deal in 2011 (65 percent), this extension would pay him around $23 million per season if he agreed to it this year.

Cook is reportedly looking to get a deal that will pay him similar to the $13 million per season that current Houston Texans running back David Johnson is making. It doesn’t seem like a big favor to ask of Minnesota when one considers how much they were willing to spend on Peterson back in the day.

The former Vikings running back is right though. When one looks at how much teams like Minnesota or the Tennessee Titans rely on rushers like Cook and Derrick Henry to make their offense successful, compensating these players fairly shouldn’t be that difficult of a decision to make.