Seven-time Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson is 38 years old. He has not suited up in an NFL game since the former first-round pick was a member of the Seattle Seahawks back in December of 2021.
Despite this, Peterson still believes he can offer something to a team. The future Hall of Famer is looking to catch on with a team this coming season while recognizing that his career is done if that doesn’t happen.
“Mentally, I haven’t officially hung it up. We’ll see what happens. My mindset is, if God’s willing, maybe an opportunity presents itself, and maybe it happens this season. I’ll go from there. But [if] nothing happens this season, for sure, I will be hanging it up.”
Adrian Peterson on his future, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Selected No. 7 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was among the best running backs in the NFL for a decade span. From 2007-15, he tallied 13,612 total yards and 102 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, a knee injury limited Peterson to three games in the 2016 season. He was never really the same running back after that despite putting up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with Washington in 2018 and 2019. Peterson’s last action on the gridiron saw him record 98 rushing yards in four games while splitting time between the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks in 2021.
Adrian Peterson stats: 14,918 rushing yards, 305 receptions, 2,474 receiving yards, 126 TD
It stands to reason that Peterson has in fact played his last snap in the NFL. Teams don’t value running backs at a high clip in the modern league. Meanwhile, the idea of a 38-year-old coming in and competing with players who are 10-12 years younger than him seems improbable.
If this is indeed it for Peterson, he’ll finish fifth in NFL history in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns. That will likely lead to an induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, Peterson’s first year of eligibility.