Press Release - The New Orleans Saints announced today that they have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent running back Adrian Peterson on a two-year contract. The announcement was made by Saints’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.
“We are excited to welcome Adrian to the New Orleans Saints,” said Head Coach Sean Payton. “It’s rare and unique to have the opportunity to add a Hall of Fame player to your roster. His career has been top-notch and speaks for itself. We think he will be an excellent fit in our locker room and in our offense. We look forward to the opportunity later this spring to work with him on the field along with the rest of our team.”
Peterson, 6-1, 220, is a 10-year NFL veteran, who captured the NFL MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the year in 2012, is a four-time Associated Press first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.
Overall, Peterson has appeared in 123 career regular season games with 116 starts, totaling 2,418 carries for 11,747 yards (4.9 average) with 97 touchdowns and also adding 241 receptions for 1,945 yards with five touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks 16th all-time and second among active NFL players, while his rushing touchdown total is ranked 10th all-time and first among active players. Peterson has rushed for at least 100 yards in 49 regular season games, 50 contests including the postseason.
In 2016, the Palestine, Texas native appeared in three games for the Vikings as he missed 13 contests with a knee injury, rushing for 72 yards. In 2015, he started all 16 games and carried 327 times for an NFL-best 1,485 yards with 11 touchdowns. He led the NFL in rushing for the third time in his career and was named a consensus AP first-team All-Pro, as well as being selected as a Pro Bowl starter.
An active presence in the community throughout his career, Peterson has worked with youth both in Minnesota and his native Texas through his All-Day Foundation.
One of college football’s most dynamic runners during his career at Oklahoma, Peterson was a three-time All-Big 12 first-team honoree, during a three-year college career where he rushed for 4,045 yards with 41 touchdowns. As a freshman in 2004, he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up, the first OU true freshman to ever earn Associated Press first-team All-American honors and the first true freshman on the team since 1996, as he rushed for a school-record 1,925 yards.
The consensus National Player of the Year as a senior at Palestine (Texas) High School when he rushed for 2,960 yards with 32 touchdowns, Peterson was born on March 21, 1985, in Palestine, Texas.
Original Story Follows:
Thursday’s evening portion of the NFL Draft could show a promising future for the Saints. Adrian Peterson, one of the NFL’s top running backs, and the Saints are allegedly closing in on a contract that will pay Peterson $3 million in 2017, reported Ian Rapoport, NFL Network Insider. Though the agreement is not final, Rapoport has reported that the agreement is heading in that direction. The contract may also include promises of another million for Peterson. Though the decision is not yet final, the main point of the discussion is that the seven-time Pro Bowler will still make less than Mark Ingram, who is coming off his most successful season this year. Ingram’s game has drastically improved in the last two years, and which would prompt Peterson to focus on early-down runs and high-leverage situations. Ironically, the Saints will be playing the Vikings in Minnesota in Week 1 for a Monday Night Football Showdown.
