NFL Trade Rumors: Saints Trade Adrian Peterson To Cardinals Who Cut Running Back Chris Johnson

The latest NFL trade rumors were swirling about the New Orleans Saints trading Adrian Peterson to the Arizona Cardinals, and now it appears the deal is done. The former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back is now heading to his second team in the 2017 NFL season. New Orleans is getting a late draft pick out of the deal while probably clearing room on their roster as Peterson wasn’t working well in their system. Here are the latest details on what was exchanged, as well as who the Arizona Cardinals cut to make roster room.

On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN reported on the big NFL trade news which has Adrian Peterson heading to another new team. The Cardinals exchanged a conditional draft pick for Peterson. The 2018 NFL Draft pick the Saints received was revealed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter as a “sixth-round conditional pick.”

Arizona also reportedly made a cut as they let go of running back Chris Johnson. For the 2017 season, Johnson had racked up just 114 yards on 45 carries with no touchdowns. Johnson previously starred with the Tennessee Titans for six seasons before playing one season for the Jets. He spent the last three seasons as part of Arizona’s roster.

Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim spoke highly of Adrian Peterson and why they decided to bring him on board the roster.

“We are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve our team and we look at this as one of those opportunities. What Adrian has accomplished in this league is well-established. Our need for a spark in our running game right now is also obvious and we are excited to give him the chance to provide that.”

For the current season, Peterson had only managed to pick up 81 yards on 27 attempts. However, he had racked up impressive stats in his time with the Minnesota Vikings. He played for Minnesota for the bulk of his career, spanning from 2007 through 2016, and he had seven seasons with 1,200 yards rushing or more. AP ran for over 2,000 yards in the 2012 season on 348 attempts. He also racked up 97 touchdowns during his time with the Vikings, including 18, his career season-high, in 2009.

New Orleans brought the 32-year-old Peterson on board this season as a free agent signing. As MSN indicated in their report, the Saints are currently last in the NFL in rushing for yards per game and yards per carry. Peterson didn’t seem to be giving them the boost they needed and might not have been a good fit for their offense. As of this report, New Orleans has a 2-2 record, which includes a loss to Peterson’s former team, the Minnesota Vikings.

Since the Cardinals now have Peterson, they are likely to use him as a starter in their current lineup as David Johnson is out with an injury. The Cardinals have started the season with a 2-3 record but now add Peterson to try to help out. They’ll also receive his $7 million, two-year contract as part of the deal. Adrian Peterson may make his official debut with his newest team this coming Sunday as the Cardinals host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Game time is slated for 4:05 p.m. Eastern Time.

[Featured Image by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]