Peterson confirms 2-year, $7M deal to join Saints
Adrian Peterson has found a new home.
The veteran running back is set to join the New Orleans Saints and will sign a two-year contract worth $7 million, he told ESPN's Josina Anderson.
"I am excited to be joining the New Orleans Saints," Peterson explained to Anderson. "I'm really looking forward to this opportunity. Most importantly, I chose this team because it just felt right within my spirit. Additionally, my wife and family added their confirmation with the same feelings. On offense, it goes without saying that the Saints are really solid behind Drew Brees. I feel like my skill set can make them even more dominant as a unit."
News of Peterson's deal comes just one day after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the two sides, which had met earlier in the offseason, were closing in on an agreement.
The contract's structure, Peterson told Anderson, is effectively a one-year arrangement with incentives and a non-guaranteed option for a second season. A base salary of $3.5 million for the 2017 season is reportedly fully guaranteed.
Peterson lands in New Orleans nearly seven weeks after first becoming a free agent.
His age, recent injury issues, and a decline in ability contributed to his soft market, and the resulting price tag makes it a minimally risky move for the Saints.
In deploying him for early-down work, likely in rotation alongside Mark Ingram, New Orleans will hope the 32-year-old regains the form that saw him run for a league-high 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015.
Peterson missed all but three games and managed just 72 yards on 37 carries in his final season with the Minnesota Vikings last year.