Adrian Peterson

Free Agent RB Adrian Peterson Not ‘Officially’ Retired

After 15 straight years of running back Adrian Peterson in the NFL, 2022 was a season with him. Not only was he not playing football in 2022, he was actually participating in another sport, boxing another former NFL running back in Le’Veon Bell. Despite not appearing in a game last year and having just turned 38 years old, Peterson is not quite ready to officially hang up his cleats, according to Clarence E Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Many assumed that a torn meniscus and sprained LCL that limited him to three games in 2016 was the beginning of the end for Peterson. He had undoubtedly been an all-time great running back over the first 10 years of his career, but running back careers notoriously do not last long and a season-ending injury in a contract year didn’t bode well for the then-31-year-old.

After a down 2017 season that saw him bounce from the Saints to the Cardinals, Peterson showed that he still had plenty of tread on the tires with a couple strong seasons in Washington. He was no longer a threat to lead the league in rushing yards, as he had done three times before, but he surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards during both of his seasons in DC.

Peterson struggled for a bit in 2021 as the Lions’ leading rusher and then tried to stick on the Titans’ and Seahawks’ rosters the following year with little success. Inching closer to 40 years old while declining in production was making it hard to keep one of the NFL’s greatest career rushing performances going.

Just after the 2021 season, Peterson was arrested for a domestic violence incident but didn’t end up facing charges. Reports from both him and his wife declined that there was any physical violence, but the incident still may have played a factor in his struggles to find a roster spot this past season.

At the boxing match with Bell, Peterson addressed his future, claiming that boxing may be his way forward but that he was “waiting for that next opportunity to present itself.” He teased a retirement announcement in March but, ultimately, decided that no announcement will be made this season.

“Mentallly, I haven’t officially hung it up,” Peterson told the media. We’ll see what happens. My mindset is, if God’s willing, maybe an opportunity presents itself, and maybe it happens this season…but (if) nothing happens this season, for sure, I will be hanging it up.”

Statistically, Peterson is currently fifth all-time in rushing yards. 82 more yards will push him over the 15,000-rushing yards mark. He would need only 351 yards to pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time, but he would need 1,082 to reach Frank Gore‘s 16,000 and nearly 3,500 more to top the list altogether. That’s certainly some incentive to return for at least one more season, but if not, Peterson’s likely Hall of Fame career is nothing to scoff at.

Free Agent RBs Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell Discuss Their NFL Futures

Former All-Pro running backs Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell will face off in an exhibition boxing match later this month in Los Angeles. The duo discussed the fight during a press conference this afternoon, but they were also naturally asked about their NFL futures. While Bell doesn’t seem all that focused on playing football in 2022, Peterson still seems to be keeping the door open.

“This is something that I definitely can see myself doing going forward as well, just depending on how things kind of play out for me,” Peterson said (via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon). “I just been kind of grinding, so I might see this continue to do something going forward. So, even after this fight, I will still be on my same routine, waiting for that next opportunity to present itself.”

While Peterson only topped 1,000 rushing yards once since 2016, he still had a consistent job, appearing in 16 games as recently as 2020. He had a tough time finding a gig in 2021, however. He ended up getting into only four games in stints with the Seahawks and Titans, collecting 106 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 42 touches. The 37-year-old was arrested earlier this offseason on a felony domestic violence charge, but the felony charge wasn’t pursued. Peterson hasn’t been connected to any squads since the season ended.

Bell is seven years younger than his boxing opponent, but he also struggled to hold on to a gig in 2021. Perhaps the lack of NFL interest ended up playing a role in Bell pursuing boxing, and it sounds like the athlete will be sticking with his new sport.

“Boxing is something that, you know, they always say it’s something you can’t play boxing,” said Bell (via Gordon). “Last year, I almost sat out the whole year to try to focus on boxing because I kind of knew that was what I wanted to transition to. This year, I know I’m not going to be playing this year because I want to focus on boxing. So, this transition for me has kind of been like, I guess, another opportunity for me. I’m just ready to showcase what I’m about…This is not just a one-off. This is, I guess like my introduction to kind of show what I’ll doing and how I’ll be going about myself. Just an intro.”

The 30-year-old RB got into eight games with the Buccaneers and Ravens last season, collecting 131 yards from scrimmage and three scores on 44 touches. Similar to Peterson, Bell hasn’t been connected to any teams this offseason.

Adrian Peterson Won’t Face Felony Domestic Violence Charges

There has been an update to the incident involving free agent running back Adrian Peterson earlier this week. As detailed in an ESPN report, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is not pressing felony charges. 

[Related: Adrian Peterson Arrested On Domestic Violence Charge]

The case will now be examined by the Los Angeles City Attorney, who could still bring forth a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. The incident between Peterson, 36, and his wife occurred Sunday before a flight was set to take off from Los Angeles to Houston. Peterson was removed from the flight before takeoff, and all other passengers landed in Houston without further issue.

In response to the arrest, Peterson said, “Me and the wife got into an argument on the plane. That was pretty much the gist of it. I ended up grabbing her hand and taking her ring off her finger… We just had a disagreement”. He also reiterated that his wife, Ashley, is not pressing charges.

Ashley also said in an Instagram post, “On Sunday, Adrian and I had a verbal argument. Unfortunately it was on an airplane. At no point did Adrian hit or strike me. This is a private matter between my husband and myself. We ask that everyone respect our privacy”.

Peterson appeared in four games in 2021, suiting up for the Titans and Seahawks. He currently ranks fifth all time in rushing yards; if he does play next season, as he intends, he will likely eclipse the 15,000 yard plateau.

Adrian Peterson Arrested On Domestic Violence Charge

Free agent running back Adrian Peterson was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday on a felony domestic violence charge. As The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala writes, the incident took place in the morning onboard an airplane flying to Houston. 

According to a statement from the Los Angeles Airport Police, they were called to respond to “a verbal and physical altercation between a male suspect and a female victim”, later identified as Peterson and his wife. Peterson was removed from the plane before it took off, and his wife and the other passengers completed the flight without further issue.

A representative for Peterson released a statement which reads in part, “this is a private misunderstanding between husband and wife and we anticipate it will all be resolved shortly”. Peterson was taken into custody with a $50K bail and released on bond later in the day. ESPN’s John Keim adds that his wife “was not going to press charges”. Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor reckless assault charge committed against his then-four-year-old son in 2014.

The 36-year-old continued his career by signing with the Titans midseason, after they lost Derrick Henry to injury. Not long after, he found himself in Seattle, though he only appeared in four total games in 2021. The former league MVP has bounced around to six teams since his illustrious tenure in Minnesota. Just shy of 15,000 career rushing yards, which ranks him fifth all time, he intends to play in 2022.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: WR Tyler Vaunghns

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Seahawks To Promote Adrian Peterson

The Seahawks are promoting Adrian Peterson from the practice squad (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). With that, Peterson is set to play against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. 

Peterson signed with the Seahawks’ taxi squad on Wednesday, providing insurance for Seattle’s badly battered backfield. Already without starting running back Chris Carson, the Seahawks will also be without backup Rashaad Penny for a while. Travis Homer, who has performed well in a very limited sample size, remains questionable with a calf injury. That’s left Alex Collins in the lead role — he’s registered 395 yards and two touchdowns this year off of 101 totes.

Peterson, 36, has just 27 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown so far this year, from his time with the Titans. His last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions, when he recorded 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns with a so-so 3.9 yards per carry average.

He might not be the player he once was, but Peterson could help the Seahawks’ struggling offense move the chains in small doses. He’ll also have a chance at history — another 367 rushing yards will put him in the 15,000-yard club for RBs.

Seahawks Sign Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson has added another stop to his illustrious resume. The veteran running back is signing with the Seahawks, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on Twitter). Peterson will initially join the team’s practice squad before getting elevated to the active roster. The running back worked out for the Seahawks earlier today.

The Seahawks have dealt with injuries to the running backs corps all season long. The team already lost starting running back Chris Carson for the season, and Rashaad Penny is currently dealing with an injury of his own (although Carroll told reporters that the running back may be able to play this weekend and will avoid an IR stint for now (via Condotta)). Seattle’s struggling ground game has been led by Alex Collins, who has turned 101 carries into 395 yards and two touchdowns. The team is also rostering DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer, and they have Josh Johnson stashed on the practice squad.

While Peterson has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, it remains to be seen if he can provide more than any of Seattle’s current options at the position. The 36-year-old saw time in three games (two starts) for the Titans this year, collecting only 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches (good for 2.9 yards per touch). Peterson was waived by Tennessee in late November. Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

He’ll have an opportunity to join the 15,000-yard club for running backs, and with 367 more rushing yards, he would pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time. His NFL career followed a standout stint at Oklahoma, and Carroll told reporters that he tried to recruit the running back while he was at USC (via Condotta).

Seahawks Hosting Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson could be on the verge of making his NFL return. The legendary running back is in Seattle today meeting with the Seahawks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 

Peterson joined the Titans earlier this year, following Derrick Henry‘s injury. He wound up seeing time in three games (two starts), collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was effectively leapfrogged by Dontrell Hilliard, however, leading to his late November release.

Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018.

If he joins the Seahawks, he’ll have an opportunity to join the 15,000-yard club for running backs, and with 367 more rushing yards, he would pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time. If things don’t work out in Seattle, he could still find an opportunity elsewhere. The Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins were all said to have interest in him earlier this year, before his deal with Tennessee.

The Seahawks have already lost starting running back Chris Carson for the season, and Rashaad Penny may also have played his last snap of the year. In their absence, Seattle’s struggling ground game has been led by Alex Collins, who has turned 101 carries into 395 yards and two touchdowns.

The earliest Peterson could play would be this Sunday, when the Seahawks host the 49ers.

Titans Waive Adrian Peterson

The Titans have released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. Peterson, who signed with the Titans just three weeks ago, will be available to the rest of the NFL on the waiver wire.

Following the injury to Derrick Henry, the Titans signed the future Hall of Famer to their practice squad. Peterson ended up getting into three games (two starts) with Tennessee, collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was held to a season-low 15 offensive snaps on Sunday, with Dontrell Hilliard getting the bulk of the looks at RB. Hilliard’s performance (82 total yards) probably spelled the end of AP’s stint with the Titans. For the time being, the team will move forward with Hilliard, D’Onta Foreman, and Jeremy McNichols as their running back group.

Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018. There’s a chance he still finds another gig during the 2021 campaign; we previously heard that the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Titans.

Peterson, 36, is still less than 200 rushing yards away from the 15,000 mark. Depending on where he lands, he could be just a few weeks away from joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders in the elusive club. He’s also about 500 yards away from leapfrogging Sanders for fourth all time in rushing yards and six rushing TDs away from besting Marcus Allen for third place.