Adrian Peterson made his name known when playing for the Minnesota Vikings. But since the two sides parted ways, “AD” has seen better days.
The Minnesota Vikings knew who they were getting when they selected former Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson in the 2007 NFL Draft. But it’s safe to say no one knew just how good Peterson would be in his tenure donning the purple and gold.
Peterson played for the Vikings from 2007 to 2016, and in those 10 years, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season seven times. Two out of the three times he didn’t were due to injuries and the other took place in 2014 when he missed most of the season due to suspension.
Peterson’s most historic performance came in 2012 when he fell nine yards short of breaking the league’s all-time single-season rushing record, held by Eric Dickerson. Regardless, Peterson was still named NFL MVP in 2012, adding another accolade to an already historic career.
Since leaving the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Peterson’s career on and off the field has taken a turn for the worse
All good things must come to an end, and in 2017 the Vikings announced that they would not exercise Peterson’s option on his contract, making him a free agent, ending the highs and lows of his time with the franchise.
He then signed with the New Orleans Saints, but then he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals after playing only four games with the Saints. Finishing the year on injured reserve for the Cardinals, the team released him the following offseason.
Peterson was able to catch a break with the Washington Commanders and he posted a 1,000-yard rushing season in 2018, but he couldn’t reproduce at the same rate during the following season, and it eventually led to his release by the team. From there he spent a year with the NFC North rival Detroit Lions, but nothing came to fruition for Peterson.
Most recently, he spent last year in a grand total of three games. Two with the Tennessee Titans and one with the Seattle Seahawks. His rushing averages plummeted to 3.0 per carry with the Titans and 1.5 in the single game with the Seahawks, where he had 11 rushing attempts for 16 yards.
Off-the-field issues have come with Peterson’s career in the NFL, and most recently, Peterson was arrested for domestic violence back in February, but the charges were ultimately dropped.
Now, he’s slated to face former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell in a boxing match, another running back whose career fell far from grace and is currently a free agent. But with issues off the field, and a declining performance on it, seeing Peterson in any NFL uniform again may just be a fever dream at this point.