Lions are a surprise landing spot for Adrian Peterson

The Detroit Lions signed Adrian Peterson on Sunday morning, to the shock of many pundits.

Peterson, 35, was released by the Washington Football Team earlier in the week, despite getting almost all the first-team reps this summer. Washington decided to go younger in their rebuild, opting to give the starting job to rookie Antonio Gibson out of Memphis.

When Peterson hit the open market, most believed he would sign with a contender such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers or Dallas Cowboys. Instead, Peterson took a one-year, $1 million deal with the Lions.

With due respect to Motown, Peterson potentially finishing up his playing days in Detroit is fairly stunning. He’s still got plenty to give if recent performance is any indication, despite this being his fifth team in the last five years.

Although not the talent he was during the earlier stages of his first-ballot Hall of Fame career, Peterson is still a workhorse. In 2018, the Oklahoma product gained 1,042 rushing yards on 4.2 yards per attempt, while scoring eight touchdowns.

Last year, Peterson rushed for 898 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games, despite being on a Washington team without any major weapons to spread the defense.

In Detroit, Peterson will be surrounded by a better cast which includes quarterback Matthew Stafford and receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. However, he’s also going to be splitting time with Kerryon Johnson and rookie D’Andre Swift out of Georgia. Frankly, Peterson may have a tough time seeing the field considering the logjam.

One wonders if Peterson ends up being traded for a low-round pick come the trade deadline. If the Lions aren’t in contention in the tough NFC North, it would behoove general manager Bob Quinn to move an expiring contract and a minor asset to a team which could use an injection of talent at running back.

For the Lions, perhaps the draw to Peterson is his ability to help Swift along while still being a productive option. Maybe it was simply bringing in a name to excite a fan base which has long been without much to cheer for. Tough to say.

For Peterson, maybe the Lions were his only real option. Maybe he likes what Detroit had to offer — a potentially dynamic offense led by the best quarterback he’s played with in years.

Either way, the fit was surprising, but Peterson is now in Detroit, trying to help the Lions win their first playoff game since 1991.