Seahawks: New Developments in the Adrian Peterson Saga
By Ben Renner
Seahawks brass threw water on the rumors that Adrian Peterson could find himself in Seattle despite interest from the Peterson camp.
The Seahawks have been flirting with free agent running back Adrian Peterson for weeks now, or at least their fans have been. ECS’s own Paul Taylor nearly broke our servers with his article explaining why Peterson would be a perfect fit in Seattle back in January.
It’s no secret that the Seahawks are in the market for another running back to help take some carries and injury risks away from Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise. Peterson, assuming he comes to terms with his depressed market value at age 31 coming off a significant knee injury, would seem to be affordable for the Seahawks, who have the most salary cap room they’ve had in recent years.
Nelson Peterson, Adrian’s father, has even mentioned that the Seahawks are on his son’s radar, as are the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots.
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However, reports have started to surface this morning indicating that Peterson’s love for Seattle might be unrequited. It’s not surprising that Seahawks brass is indicating they might not be as interested in signing the seven-time Pro Bowler. If Seattle General Manager John Schneider and his people are indeed still interested in signing Peterson, it’s clear they don’t want to pay the current market price.
Peterson has recovered from serious knee injuries before, of course. If you play fantasy football like I do, you haven’t stopped kicking yourself for not drafting AP in 2012, when he nearly broke the single-season rushing record after getting offseason knee surgery (unless you did draft him, in which case you probably remember crushing everyone in your league). This is a man who has led the league in rushing three times in his ten-year career. He’ll never be a 300-carry running back again, but he could still help teams looking for rushing depth for their offenses, including the Seahawks.
The leaks of disinterest to the media the day before NFL free agency officially begins likely form a ploy to lower the cost of the three-time rushing champion. While Seattle head coach Pete Carroll would love to plug Peterson in for five to ten carries a game, especially in the Red Zone, he and Schneider know that they can’t pay a premium for the veteran back who has had two of the past three seasons wiped out by injury.
Next: Seahawks Mock Draft: Tim Williams of Alabama
Stay tuned to ECS for more continuing coverage of the NFL free agency period. Where will the Seahawks throw their extra cash this offseason?