The Seahawks have made a habit of signing iconic players at the very end of their careers. In the past, legends like Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens made very brief stops in Seattle as theirs were coming to an end. We can now add Adrian Peterson to that list.
Once the undisputed best running back in football, Peterson was the last non-QB to win the league’s MVP award and was a four-time All Pro. The best of his days came a long time ago with the Vikings and he didn’t last long with the Titans earlier this season. However, the Seahawks were desperate for a running back heading into December so they signed him to their practice squad.
Peterson only played one game in a Seattle uniform, totaling just 16 yards on 11 carries but still managing to earn a Hall of Famer worthy headline by tying Jim Brown’s career touchdown total. Peterson suffered some sort of a back injury in that game and was never on the field again this year.
However, Peterson had one last golden egg to lay for these Seahawks. It came in the form of inspiration for Rashaad Penny, who has credited Peterson’s influence for his outrageously productive late-season surge.
While it made for a great story, the Peterson/Seahawks marriage is officially over – at least for now. Today players on the practice squads of NFL teams who did not make the playoffs became free agents, including Peterson.
Practice squad contracts expired this morning for non-playoff teams. Veterans who are now free agents include RB Adrian Peterson; WRs Willie Snead and Tommylee Lewis; and DBs Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Brian Poole, Bradley McDougald, Damon Arnette, D.J. Swearinger and D.J. Hayden.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 17, 2022
So, what’s next for All Day?
Given the way things went for Peterson in Seattle and Tennessee, it’s tough to envision another team giving him a real chance at playing time in 2022. Peterson was a one-in-a-million athlete in his prime but whatever juice he had is clearly spent for the 36-year old back, who’s played 184 career regular season games.
If Peterson wants to stick around, the Seahawks should offer him a chance to join their coaching staff. Even if he’s only there to effectively serve as Rashaad Penny’s muse, he’ll be worth every penny and a lot more.
Coach Pete Carroll told reporters a few weeks back that the team has talked to Peterson about coaching, but for now he wants to focus on playing.
