Adrian Peterson is headed back to the NFC North.
After his release from the Washington Football Team, Peterson has signed a one year, $2.3 million deal with the Detroit Lions per Tom Pelissero:
Despite being 35-years-old, Peterson still has gas left in the tank. Over his two seasons with Washington, the grizzled veteran racked up 1940 yards (4.25 yards a carry) and 12 touchdowns. While these are not eye-popping numbers by any means, they become much more impressive when you consider Peterson’s age as well as the fact that Washington’s record over those two seasons was a humble 10-22.
Adrian Peterson will be playing in familiar territory this season. After being selected seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, Peterson spent ten seasons there, where he rushed for a whopping 11,747 yards and 97 touchdowns as one of the most dominant running backs in the NFL.
Peterson joins a young and talented RB room in Detroit, where he will compete for snaps with second-round pick D’Andre Swift and incumbent starter Kerryon Johnson.
Kerryon Johnson has seen a career plagued by injuries in his first two years, playing in only 18 games in two seasons. He has shown promise when healthy. Over those 18 games, Johnson has managed 1,384 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns despite the Lions’ struggling offense. Some regarded D’Andre Swift as the top running back in the 2020 NFL Draft after rushing for 2,883 yards at Georgia, while also establishing himself as a capable receiving threat out of the backfield.
With Johnson’s injury history, it is smart for the Lions to seek quality depth by signing Peterson. The bulk of Detroit’s offensive snaps will go to Johnson and Swift, but it can never hurt to have a third guy who is as consistent as Peterson.
Peterson is already a lock for the hall of fame, but fans will get to see him on the field for at least one more year.
