One-time Saints RB Adrian Peterson hoping to see Year 15 in the NFL

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He’s a Minnesota Vikings legend, and more importantly a great trivia answer for New Orleans Saints fans (take your pick: “Which running back was traded to make room for Alvin Kamara?” or “Which Vikings superstar fumbled twice in the 2009 NFC title game?”). Now 36 years old, Adrian Peterson is holding out hope to see one more year in the NFL before calling it a career. With 14 seasons behind him, legacy is on his mind.

“The training is going well and I’m going to control the things that I can control right now, and, when that time comes, somebody will give me a call,” Peterson told Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson. “That’s all I’m asking for. My body feels good. I came out healthy from last season. My body feels strong. I still feel young. I still feel good. I’m ready to play ball.”

Peterson is only 450 yards away from surpassing Barry Sanders to rank fourth in the NFL record books for career rushing yards, and he admits it’s a goal he’s “been chasing for a long time.” He totaled just 81 yards on 27 carries in four games with the Saints back in 2017, though he averaged 74.7 yards on the ground per game in six outings with the Cardinals after being traded that year. He then averaged 62.6 yards per game in two seasons with Washington before bottoming out at 37.8 yards per game with Matt Patricia’s Lions squad in 2020.

Maybe he closes the gap with Sanders in 2021. But the glut of running back talent around the league and miserly contracts being handed out this time of the year make it tough to find a match for Peterson so late in the offseason. There’s a real possibility he doesn’t dress for another game. And if that’s the case, then ranking fifth-best all-time (and remaining a footnote in Saints history) is plenty to be proud of.

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