Now that Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram will miss the first four games of the 2018 season after violating the NFL’s PED policy, there’s a decent chance that the New Orleans Saints might be looking to the veteran free agent market for a short-term option.
Among those still available, future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson recently noted that he’s 100 percent after suffering a neck injury last season and is out to prove he’s still the best in the game (more on that here).
Despite a failed marriage between AD and the Saints that spanned just four games last season before he was shipped off to Arizona, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton is not eliminating the possibility that Peterson returns to the team.
When asked recently whether his Saints would consider signing Peterson, Payton responded “absolutely” before denying that there was ever an issue between the player and coach last season, via NFL Media.
Remember, the two seemingly got into a heated confrontation on the sideline during a game last season. According to Payton, it was much ado about nothing.
Whether the Saints seriously consider signing Peterson is a completely different story. At 33 years old, he’s well past his prime. He’s also put up a grand total of 601 rushing yards in 13 games over the past two seasons. That came on the heels of a 2015 campaign that saw Peterson lead the league with 1,485 rushing yards.
In the above-mentioned report, Peterson previously indicated that he would certainly pick up the phone should New Orleans call. We just don’t see it being a viable possibility.