Despite the talk, Adrian Peterson to the Buccaneers is not the right move.
Here we go again. The Adrian Peterson to the Buccaneers talk is back in full swing. It’s not hard to understand why. I mean, when Peterson is working out with all the big players on the offense, there has to be something there, right? James Yarcho mentioned on the recent Walking the Plank podcast that Peterson initiated the workout idea. There must be interest.
The podcast, hosted by our guys Yarcho and David Harrison, spent much of the episode discussing the Peterson idea. They even brought on special guest who most of you know, Gil Arcia. Arcia was lukewarm to the idea compared to our guys. Take a listen, both David and James give great reasons why the Bucs should bring him in. Their opinions are well-rounded and they are passionate about the team as we all are.
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By comparison, I side more with Gil on this. I have written about it before but since it’s back in the news, the subject deserves repeating. The Bucs need to keep themselves away from Adrian Peterson. There isn’t enough evidence that he is worth the money at this point in his career.
Forget the character concern, which shouldn’t be forgotten. For the purposes of this discussion, however, put it to the side.
Yes, Peterson led the league in rushing in 2015 with 1,485 yards. Look closer at the stats, however. Specifically, look at his last eight games he played, crossing over into 2016. Over those last eight games, Peterson has averaged a whopping 49 yards per game. This is all before he got hurt, folks.
This is evidence of a player that is set to return to dominance? By comparison, Doug Martin has averaged 52 yards per game over his last eight. That’s not to say that Martin has put up largely better numbers by any means. But, when you have a guy that is already putting up numbers like that, why pay 8-9 million, even for a short time, to bring in Peterson, who is showing no evidence of being any better.
All of a sudden, when you compare Martin to Peterson, it gets interesting.
Let’s see what the rest of the league thinks so far. According to Alex Butler of UPI, Peterson is set to make his third free agent visit, and the team he will visit with is the New Orleans Saints. Potentially, they are looking at him to backup Mark Ingram. He is not even being looked at as a potential “bell cow”.
What about his other visits? Well, he visited with the Seattle Seahawks. They would rather have the larger than life Eddie Lacy. We all know HIS problems, so let that sink in. The Seahawks would rather potentially give the ball to Eddie Lacy than Adrian Peterson. That is a statement. He also visited with the New England Patriots. However, they seemingly would rather re-sign LeGarrette Blount.
Good player for them, but certainly never has been vintage Adrian Peterson. This, again, is another statement. Even if Peterson’s interest in the Patriots was lukewarm, if Belichick wanted him he would have made it work.
The Oakland Raiders were in the mix at one point as well. They are more interested in Marshawn Lynch, a player who was banged up in his final season on the field and has spent the last year retired. They would rather replace Latavius Murray with a retired player than an active one. Come on.
He also reportedly wants a lot of money. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Peterson wants $8 million in the first year of any contract. With all due respect to the legacy of Peterson, that is crazy. At 32 years old, playing the way he has of late, to expect top running back money is just silly. And does anyone really think he will take a “show me” contract at his age? He is going to want some guarantees. Peterson is not in a position to be insisting upon much. Look at those stats again.
And by the way, please don’t sign him because Winston said so. It sets a bad precedent. I understand he wanted DeSean Jackson, but that was also a perfect fit. This isn’t.
Next: Winston Named Ninth Best QB on a Roster
It looks like a great idea, bring in the future Hall of Fame running back. Adrian Peterson is not that guy anymore. Don’t do it.