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Rumor: Adrian Peterson wants to play in Seattle – Seahawks should say no

By Keith Myers

Dec 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) rushes onto the field prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Colts win 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) rushes onto the field prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Colts win 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Adrian Peterson wants to play in Seattle, and the Seahawks are interested. Unfortunately, this is bad idea that won’t help the Seahawks win.

Reports were flying today about Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson’s desire to play for the Seattle Seahawks. Later it was confirmed that the Seahawks are open to the idea as well.

Peterson was once one of the best RBs to ever play the game. He is a no-doubt first ballot Hall of Famer, a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, and a 3-time All Pro. He has been the most dominant player at his position since Bo Jackson.

Unfortunately, Adrian Peterson isn’t that guy anymore.

Peterson will be 32 next season, and we all know what happens to RBs after they hit 30. Father time isn’t nice to them, and he’s already done major damage to Peterson’s abilities.

Adrian Peterson played in just 3 games in 2016. He couldn’t stay healthy, and when he did play he was ineffective. Peterson managed a measly 1.9 yards per carry and failed to reach the end zone all season. Asiata and McKinnon, teammates who played behind the same offensive line, both averaged almost twice that much.

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This may be an unpopular opinion, but Adrian Peterson would be a terrible waste of salary cap space with the Seahawks. The Seahawks have bigger needs and limited cap space. There is no reason to have an old broken-down RB eating up $6M of salary cap.

The Seahawks already have a trio of promising young ball carriers. Yes, there are some durability concerns with that group, but signing Peterson does nothing to alleviate Seattle’s RB injury issues.  Signing him also likely means that Seattle will lose one of those youngsters.

There is also the problem of his scheme fit. Peterson is a guy who has never run well out of the shotgun. He’s always been at his best when the QB is under center and he has a fullback leading the way.  Seattle has been trying to kill off the fullback position and use a hybrid TE/H-back instead. Plus, putting Wilson under center negates Seattle’s inside zone game and the threat of Wilson keeping the ball.

Oh, and we should also mention that Peterson is terrible as a pass blocker (a skill necessary with Seattle’s historically bad offensive line) and has developed ball control issues. Peterson has lost 8 fumbles in his last 19 games.

Think back to 2015 when Marshawn Lynch was starting to break down and Thomas Rawls was the far more productive player. We all still loved Marshawn, but that was just the state of things at that time. 2016 was similar for Peterson, but more extreme.

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I don’t want to take away from how great Peterson has been over his career. He truly has been one of the best ever.

In a salary cap league like the NFL, you need to pay a guy for what he will do and not for what he has already done. If Seattle signs Adrian Peterson they won’t be getting the guy from a few years ago. They’ll be getting a guy who isn’t any better than that players currently on the roster.

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