Adrian Peterson’s return to action for the Minnesota Vikings was short lived. After coming back early from knee surgery, the running back now has a groin injury to go along with his sore knee that is keeping him out of Saturday’s pivotal game against the Green Bay Packers.
Adrian Peterson now ruled out for tomorrow vs Packers.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 23, 2016
This is something that comes as no surprise. Peterson would not commit to playing after his groin and knee kept him from practicing earlier this week (more on that here).
It’s quite clear now that Peterson tried to come back from his torn meniscus far too soon. He wanted to help his team make a successful playoff push, so it’s easy to understand his motivation for coming back last weekend, a few weeks before he should have.
During last weekend’s game, Peterson was largely ineffective, gaining just 22 yards on six carries and losing a fumble on his best run of the game. He was visibly dejected on the bench at times, and one wonders if he’s played his last down with Minnesota at this point.
Set to count $18 million against the cap next year, it’s a certainty Peterson will either have to redo his deal, be released or traded. There is zero chance the Vikings will keep him at his current rate, especially in light of the fact he’s now 31 years old and has broken down physically the past few years.