Adrian Peterson will not be playing football again this season, and the Minnesota Vikings star claims he has given thought to never suiting up again.
In a conversation with ESPN’s Ben Goessling, Peterson said he plans to file a lawsuit against the NFL. And if a potential lawsuit somehow affects his elgibility for reinstatement, AP said he may just walk away from football.
“I’ve considered retiring from the NFL,” Peterson said. “I still made $8 million dollars this year. I’ve thought about getting back into the real estate (business in Texas) I’m already in. That’s something I’ve been interested in, something I’m involved in. I’ve thought about getting back into that.”
While Peterson was still at the peak of his game before his suspension, he wouldn’t exactly be retiring early. The average career for an NFL running back is less than three years, and Peterson was in his eighth this season. He’ll also turn 30 before the 2015 season, and very few running backs have produced at a high level at that age and beyond.
However, retiring from football wouldn’t mean Peterson is planning to give up on athletics altogether. In fact, he has considered making a run at the Olympics.
“I’ve thought about going after the Olympics — you only live once,” Peterson said. “It might be time for me to pursue that, as well. I love playing football, don’t get me wrong, but this situation is deeper than that. For me, it’s like, ‘Why should I continue to be a part of an organization or a business that handles players the way they do? Making money off the field anyway, why not continue to pursue that (Olympic) dream and pursue other dreams and hang up the cleats?'”
Peterson said he has interest in competing in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. Given the way he bounced back from ACL surgery and nearly broke the NFL rushing record, there’s no reason to think he can’t make a legitimate run at qualifying for the Olympics.
If Peterson does decide to continue his NFL career, he sees no reason why he would regress in 2015.
“I don’t see why it would be the case,” he said. “I see me being a better player than I was.”
Peterson would count $15 million against the Vikings’ cap next season.
