One of the more notable moves of the NFL offseason was Adrian Peterson signing with the New Orleans Saints. Still, it created an apparent dilemma. For as many things as Peterson does well, he’s never been known as a particularly strong pass-catching back. So, how will he fit into the pass happy offense that Drew Brees runs?
Peterson is not worried about his pass-catching skills. He noted that his perceived lack of pass-catching ability comes more from the fact that the Minnesota Vikings rarely used him in that role.
“They didn’t use me that way,” Peterson said, via Joel Erickson of The Advocate. “It’s always funny to me, because I’ve been playing this game since I was 7, and a lot of people they say, ‘He can’t catch the ball. Like I’ve been playing ball since I was 7 years old, I can catch a football.”
Peterson also noted that his receiving stats were much better in 2009 and 2010 when Brett Favre was his quarterback. Objectively, that’s accurate. Peterson’s best and third best seasons in terms of receptions came in 2009 (43) and 2010 (36), respectively.
Those two seasons also marked the only times when he went over 300 yards receiving (436 in 2009, 341 in 2010).
Peterson’s receiving abilities will certainly be tested in New Orleans. In 2016, running back Mark Ingram caught 46 passes for 319 yards. One of his backups, Travis Cadet caught 40 balls for 281 yards.