It's been over two full seasons since Adrian Peterson took a snap in an NFL game. The 38-year-old hasn't officially hung up his cleats yet though and recently hinted at a potential return.
Peterson told Danny Kannell that he isn’t opposed to giving it another go in the NFL.
“I'm always open to get out there and play again,” Peterson said, via CBS Sports.
Peterson last played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 with his final NFL action to date coming on Dec. 5, 2021. He scored a rushing touchdown and totaled 16 yards in the game. It was the only game Peterson played for Seattle.
Peterson detailed a lengthy history of injuries and mentioned his recovery process for the latest injury he dealt with.
“I wouldn’t say I'm game-ready right now but I had to let my body recover,” Peterson said. “I had some injuries. My last injury with Seattle, I had a pinched nerve. I didn't want to go under the knife so it took about a year for that to finally heal.”
Peterson played in 47 games from 2018-2020, proving his durability deep into his 30s. It's highly questionable that he can make it through a full 17-game NFL slate but joining a franchise for a few weeks and potentially getting some carries shouldn’t be underestimated.
It's unlikely a contending team will take a look at Peterson. A reunion with the Minnesota Vikings late in the season if the team is out of playoff contention would make sense.
Why would Peterson return? He is 82 rushing yards away from becoming the fifth running back in NFL history with 15,000 career rushing yards. He's also 352 yards from topping Barry Sanders for fourth on the all-time rushing list.
It's a long shot, but we may not have seen the last of Adrian Peterson in an NFL backfield.
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