The common belief across the NFL is that Adrian Peterson is nearing the end of his career, otherwise there would have been more teams that expressed interest in signing him. But as far as the 32-year-old is concerned, those teams will be kicking themselves in several years when he is still playing.
Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate described a moment Peterson had at Saints practice this week when he was asked how much longer he wants to play. His response indicated he plans to keep going until he’s at least 37.
He was just asked how long he wanted to play and if he planned to redefine the expectations of how long running backs can be effective. Then he saw the No. 37 on the scoreboard and decided to go with that. Five more years. It seemed like a reasonable figure for the 32-year-old.
“It’s a good number,” Peterson said. “Approaching 40.”
Peterson suffered the second major knee injury of his career last year. The first time it happened, he came back and had his best season. However, he was a lot younger then. Even before A.P. went down with a knee injury last season, he was having trouble finding running room and averaged just 1.9 yards per carry on 37 attempts.
That being said, early reports have been that Peterson looks rejuvenated in New Orleans. Underhill says his new teammates have “gushed” over the way the seven-time Pro Bowler looks in practice. The Saints are also in a unique situation in that they don’t need to overwork Peterson and can have him split carries with Mark Ingram.
Judging by what Drew Brees said about Peterson recently, the Saints believe the veteran back has more than enough left in the tank. Will it be five years worth? That seems unlikely.
