It would have been nuts for Adrian Peterson to be allowed to return at his $18 million salary, so the Vikings finally made it official.
The #Vikings will not exercise the 2017 option on Adrian Peterson's contract.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) February 28, 2017
: https://t.co/VUfyxBm9HU pic.twitter.com/ToitrPbtiZ
What a storied career in Minnesota for the former seventh overall pick of the 2007 draft, paled only in comparison to the eighth overall pick. Like every player that gets released, you are probably trying to figure out a way to bring him home.
Peterson, soon to be 32 years-old, will go down as one of the best backs in NFL history. He put up an insane 1,707 offensive yards just one season ago, and should have some juice left in his legs. He almost certainly wants a place where he can win, and the Falcons are returning every impact player from their Super Bowl run.
But Peterson doesn’t fit in Atlanta. Every snap he takes will be one less for Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Falcons have the best and youngest running back duo in the league. Peterson only played in three games last year, and couldn’t even create 2 yards per carry. He’s coming back from yet another injury that took him out of most of 2016. We did the Steven Jackson experiment before, and the team doesn’t need to do it again.
Also, Jamaal Charles was released, and the Falcons are not signing him either. Thanks for asking!