Adrian Peterson does not want his kids following in his footsteps.
The former Minnesota Vikings running back joined in the discussion surrounding the lack of pay for running backs, stating that the lack of pay isn't fair or worth it.
“I really feel like these guys, for the sacrifices they make playing that position, they should definitely be getting paid amongst some of the highest paid players on the team,” Peterson said on RGIII and The Ones. “It's a brutal position.”
“I do not want my boys to play that position,” Peterson said. “If they wanna play football, be a receiver, be an outside linebacker, do something different. When you get the ball, you got 11 guys coming at you. Not only that, you're blocking the best players … it blows my mind. You guys wanna slide the protection and have us block the defensive end. We block everybody. Pay us what we're due.”
Peterson became the highest-paid running back in NFL history when the Vikings awarded him a seven-year $96 million contract in 2011 with $32 million guaranteed. He made around $99 over his career, but it's questionable if he'd still receive such a valuable contract in today's NFL where many backfields prioritize committees and paying other positions.
It was absolutely worth paying Adrian Peterson, though. During his career, he amassed 3,230 carries for 14,918 yards and 120 touchdowns. He holds the Vikings' franchise records for carries, yards and touchdowns after spending almost a decade with Minnesota.
Peterson's best season came in 2011, when he came back from a torn ACL and rushed for 2,097 yards, just eight short of the all-time NFL record. He carried the Vikings to the playoffs and won the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award.