Adrian Peterson Finalizes Deal With Saints, Will Play Vikings Week 1

As previously reported by Danny Cox, Adrian Peterson was expected to sign with the New Orleans Saints as of last night. Today he made it official, signing a two-year deal worth up to $7 million. In 2017, Peterson will make $3.5 million guaranteed, while his salary in 2018 is an incentive based contract. Peterson can earn upwards of $8 million total based on incentives and bonuses over the course of his tenure with the New Orleans Saints.

The face of the Minnesota Vikings franchise for the past decade will now join Mark Ingram in the Saints’ backfield. The question most football fans should be asking is why the Saints would make this move. The Saints had their first 1,000-yard rusher in over ten years this past season when Mark Ingram rushed for 1,043 yards and six touchdowns. New Orleans has been looking to get younger on both sides of the ball, so an Adrian Peterson at age 32 raises many red flags.

Drew Brees and the Saints offense have always been known to rely heavy on the passing game, and that is one of Adrian Peterson’s flaws. He has never been a back to line up in the slot to catch passes or even stay in the game during obvious passing downs during his time in Minnesota. Best case scenario for New Orleans is that Peterson will be a change of pace back who can help them get those extra yards on 3rd and one and finish off drives at the goal line for the Saints.

It is rare for a running back in the NFL to play into their 30’s, but Adrian Peterson is looking to add another achievement to his numerous accomplishments. According to the NFL Networks’ Ian Rapoport, the Saints were the only team to offer Peterson a formal contract despite visits to other teams. Adrian Peterson will look to prove the other 31 teams wrong who wouldn’t take a shot on the 10-year pro.

His first opportunity will come against his former team in the Minnesota Vikings. The NFL released its 2017 schedule last Thursday detailing each teams opponents for the upcoming season. It seems like a strange coincidence that Peterson signed with the team who drew his former team for week one. He will look to do what he has done to every other team in the league for the past decade to the team who drafted him 3rd overall in the 2007 draft.

Get ready for week 1, Monday Night Football, Adrian Peterson vs Vikings. https://t.co/qOt0Zfei5D

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2017

Despite the bad blood he might have against his former team, Adrian Peterson is happy to have finally found a new home in New Orleans. He spoke about his new contract with the New Orleans Saints with ESPN’s Josina Anderson, and she quoted him in a recent article.

“I could tell from talking to head coach Sean Payton over the last two weeks that he did his due diligence in evaluating how I could contribute. I also did a lot of homework on the defense as well. While I know that injuries have played a role in performance, I also see areas of potential with a lot of younger guys having the ability to step up. Lastly, it goes without saying that the Saints have an amazing fan base and I look forward to making them proud and creating everlasting memories.”

Sean Payton is well respected around the NFL as an offensive mind, and it will be interesting to see how he uses Adrian Peterson in the Saints’ offense moving forward. Whether he plays five snaps or 15 snaps in the Saints’ opener, there sure will be plenty of buzz surrounding ESPN’s first Monday Night Football in 2017.

[Featured Image by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]