Bucs rumors: Tampa Bay may have interest in signing RB Adrian Peterson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were reportedly one of the teams interested in signing veteran running back Adrian Peterson last year. Now it appears the Bucs may be revisiting the prospect of signing the future Hall of Famer.

Through the first few months of the offseason, former All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson has remained in the open market as an available commodity in free agency. There has yet to be any significant chatter about Peterson being in conversation with another team for his next landing spot in the league.

However, it appears that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may look to kick the tires once again on the possibility of bringing in the 33-year-old for the 2018 campaign as Florida Football Insiders speculates.

A year ago RB Adrian Peterson was available on the free agency market and the Bucs were apparently one of the teams taking a good look at him before psas\sing on him. Now, it’s 2018 and the same scenario exists, and Tampa Bay may be ready to take a small gamble on bringing the future Hall of Famer in for one last try.

The Buccaneers had made a pursuit of Peterson last offseason but had decided against bringing him on in favor of riding with Doug Martin as their clear-cut starter. It turned out to be a decision that didn't necessarily work in their favor as Martin struggled to produce recording less than 500 rushing yards for the fourth time in his first six years in the league that led to them cutting him earlier this offseason.

This continued lack of interest could quickly lead to Peterson being an obtainable asset on a short-term deal to provide more stability to the running game. He showed that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank last season after he was traded midseason to the Arizona Cardinals notching 448 rushing yards on 129 carries in six games. This included a pair of performances with more than 130 rushing yards before a neck injury prematurely ended his season.

Tampa Bay looks to have already addressed their backfield situation with the selection of former USC standout running back Ronald Jones in the second round of this year's draft. Jones could quickly work his way toward being the explosive asset in the offense that the Buccaneers have been searching to possess. Nonetheless, this leaves the door open for a potential landing spot for Peterson as he looks to find his next home in the NFL ahead of the 2018 season.