Cardinals planning to part ways with Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson aimed to resurrect his career after signing with the New Orleans Saints before the 2017 NFL campaign. The veteran running back was coming off yet another knee injury. The Minnesota Vikings weren’t interested in keeping him on. They signed Latavius Murray in free agency and drafted rookie Dalvin Cook. With Peterson cast off in Minnesota, the longtime face of the Vikings franchise signed with the Saints. However, things didn’t turn out as expected and he was eventually traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals were looking to replace David Johnson for the time being and at time Peterson looked like his former self in terms of playing at a Pro Bowl-caliber level but failed to play consistently well and now the team intends to part ways with him, according to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.

After acquiring him from the New Orleans Saints in October, the Arizona Cardinals will be moving on from running back Adrian Peterson, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s Mike Jurecki.

Peterson’s salary cap hit for the 2018 season would be $3.5 million. This works out at $2 million in base salary and the rest in the form of bonuses.

Flashes

The pending release of Peterson isn’t all that surprising. When healthy, Johnson is arguably one of the best running backs in the league. On form, he’s up there along with the likes of Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the short time Peterson was with the Cardinals, the veteran back ran for 448 yards, two touchdowns while also racking up 66 yards in the passing game. Although Peterson clearly wasn’t the force of old, he did have flashes of brilliance. This may ultimately lead to a team taking a chance on him during the NFL offseason.

The Cardinals, however, will continue forward with what appears to be a rebuilding process following the announcement of Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer’s retirement. Arizona’s odds to win it all or even make the playoffs likely won’t be all that high next season.