Adrian Peterson is No Longer The "AP" We Once Knew

Adrian Peterson, when it's all said and done is probably a top 5 running back of all time. With that being said though, Peterson is set to turn 32 in March and is entering his 11th season in the NFL. Peterson always had some minor health issues, but it reached the boiling point recently as he only played in 20 games his last 3 seasons. Today, it was announced that the Minnesota Vikings declined Peterson's contract option today making him a free agent. Wait. Hold on. Someone go handcuff Jerry Jones to a refrigerator and hide his phone. He was scheduled to make $11.75 million next year with an $18 million cap hit, the most among running backs in the NFL.

Every NFL fan who had a chance to watch Peterson in his prime remembers his signature comeback year in 2012 when he rushed for over 2000 yards and nearly broke the single season record. He was a dominating throw back to the style of runner that was prevalent in the '80s and '90s, running with a violent style of running blended with a touch of balance, vision, and speed like no other in his era. He was the most dominating player at his position and enjoyed many Pro Bowl and All Pro seasons, but sadly it has come to an abrupt end.

The stigma that comes with the running back position is that they seem to hit a exponential drop off in production once they pass the age of 30. For a short moment though, Peterson looked like he would be the single player to transcend this notion winning the rushing title in 2015 with over 1400 rushing yards. Looking back, it seems like it was just a single outlier to the bigger picture.

Peterson may have only played in 3 games this season due to a torn meniscus, but he was dreadful whenever he got the ball. On 37 attempts last year, he averaged a pitiful career low 1.9 yards a carry. Some of the blame can be mitigated to the awful offensive line Minnesota fielded last year, but the Adrian Peterson we were used to seeing for so long was good enough to transcend his offensive line. It was clear watching Peterson this year, that he was no longer the dominant player we once knew.

At this point with Peterson, he'll need to sign with a team that has an above average offensive line. I personally think he has a little gas in the tank left, but I could be wrong as may see heavy decline with the 2,418 carries he's had his career. I see him at this point being an above average back that get 15 carries a game only in the right situation. It makes absolutely no sense to overpay for Peterson right now when there are question marks on whether he could be an effective lead back at this point in his career. To be honest, I don't see him signing anything longer than a 1 year deal under $4 million.

Peterson has all the accolades he could possibly have except one that's alluded him his entire career- a Super Bowl title. Frankly, he should also be trying to sign with a contender at this point. The two best fits for him might be Dallas (heavens forbid) and New England (I'd love to see this at the right price). If someone hasn't restrained Jerry Jones yet, do it now. We don't have much time. But then again, being that it's the NFL some bottom feeder may overpay just to have a star name in house.

Adrian Peterson is no longer "AP", and he shouldn't be getting paid for past accomplishments. But hey, who am I to say? For all we could know, Peterson might come back and have another 2,000 yard rushing season.