Would Adrian Peterson take a pay cut to chase a ring with New England?
It’s not a foolproof plan, but it’s worked before: a standout veteran player, seemingly nearing the end of his career and in a strong place financially, takes a below-market rate with a Super Bowl-contending team.
Just ask Darrelle Revis. Or Chris Long. Both had enjoyed individual success elsewhere but signed with the New England Patriots in the hopes of winning the one thing that had eluded them professionally. It worked for both men.
And might a third man join them?
Buried in a Sunday Boston Herald story is this note, from writer Karen Guregian:
“A source close to Peterson told the Herald that since AP has already earned a ton — more than $97 million is his career — it’s certainly something he’d consider. Peterson knows how it worked out for Darrelle Revis and Chris Long. But naturally, there will be a lot of teams in the mix, including the Vikings. And, of course, the Pats would have to want to bring in an aging back with an injury history, not to mention baggage.
“Historically, the Patriots haven’t paid running backs more than $2 million a year. If the Pats were truly interested, they might come off that number, but Peterson would have to be willing to leave a lot on the table considering likely offers elsewhere.”
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson tweeted on Sunday that the Patriots believe another team will make LeGarrette Blount, who has been with the team for three-plus years and scored a franchise-record 18 rushing touchdowns this season, an offer the team won’t match.
Peterson at his best and Blount at his aren’t the same player, though both have struggled of late. Blount was great in goal-line situations this season, he seemingly ran out of gas late in the season, totaling just 132 yards on 51 attempts over the final three games of the regular season (2.59 YPA), and 109 yards on 35 carries in the postseason (3.11 YPA).
Peterson is coming off another season affected by knee injury, and averaged a meager 1.9 yards per carry on 37 carries over three games. He missed nearly the entire 2014 season due to a torn ACL, but came back in 2015 to lead the NFL with 1,485 rushing yards (4.5 YPA).
More NFL free agency coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Ranking the most interesting teams to watch in free agency, from 32 to 1
• The top 20 available free agents
• A list of the the franchise-tagged players
• Some interesting possibilities at quarterback for a change
• An all-time great running back leads top skill-position players
• Top 25 defensive players, led by a mountain of a defensive end
• A couple of guards lead a thin offensive line group
