A few hours after Adrian Peterson was ruled out for the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 16 game against the Green Bay Packers, some more news surfaced that indicates the running back is done for the year.
ESPN’s Bob Holtzman reported a Vikings source as saying Peterson is “very likely” to remain out next week, and he postulates Peterson has likely played his last game with the Vikings.
This isn’t a hot take, folks. It’s a legitimate issue, because if Peterson remains on Minnesota’s roster and doesn’t agree to a pay cut, he’s going to cost the team $18 million against the cap next year. That’s far too much money for a top running back, especially one who’ll be 32 next year and whose health has suddenly become a major issue.
In addition to Peterson’s knee, which was sore this week after the came back too soon from surgery, he suffered a groin injury in the team’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday. During this game, Peterson gained just 22 yards on six carries and fumbled away his best run of the afternoon.
The 2016 season has seen Peterson gain just 72 yards on 37 carries (1.9 yards per carry) and he’s failed to get into the end zone once while playing in less than three games. This is now his second season in the last three played in which the man known as All Day hasn’t been able to live up to his moniker, not by a long shot.
With that in mind, don’t be surprised if his career in Minnesota is truly finished after 10 years.