New York Giants Should Not Be Interested in Adrian Peterson
Recently, current Minnesota Vikings’ running back, Adrian Peterson, named the New York Giants as one of the four teams he would consider playing for if released from the Vikings. The Giants should not reciprocate his interest and need to stay away from AP.
On ESPN’s First Take show, 2012 NFL MVP Adrian Peterson stated that if things don’t work out with Minnesota for 2017, he would like to “go somewhere where [he] can win a championship. With that, having a good defense. A team that has a good offensive scheme as well. A great coaching staff, that really helps”.
Specifically, Peterson mentioned the New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as preferred destinations, believing that those teams fulfill his criteria of a championship contender. The Giants will certainly be in the market for an option to elevate their running game in 2017, but they should not consider signing AP, if available.
The most glaring concern and the Giants’ primary reason to distance themselves from Peterson should be his past. Peterson was suspended for the majority of the 2014 season after being indicted for reckless or negligent injury to a child. Peterson admitted that he “whooped” his four-year-old son as a means of disciplining him, by spanking him with a tree branch.
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This incident occurred not too far after the NFL was criticized for poorly handling Ray Rice‘s domestic violence situation, so the Vikings and the league took swift action by placing him on the commissioner’s exempt list.
Peterson was cooperative with authorities and avoided jail time, but he received much backlash from the public following the legal settlement. Many believe that a $4,000 fine and 80 hours of community service was not enough punishment for child abuse. Although he was on the commissioner’s exempt list, he still collected all of his salary during the 2014 season. In other words, he didn’t play and was still paid.
Now let’s fast forward to the present.
The Giants received negative attention this season for poorly handling Josh Brown‘s domestic violence issues. Prior to the season, they gave Brown a two-year contract for $4 million. From top-down, the Giants ignored claims and overlooked past incidents in Brown’s life pertaining to domestic violence. In a league where past domestic violence incidents blacklist players, the Giants decided to keep Brown on the team because he was performing well.
When public outrage exceeded the defenses of John Mara and Ben McAdoo, the Giants were forced to release him. Without the journal admitting his domestic violence, Brown would probably still be kicking for the Giants. They failed to do research on his past and faced appropriate criticism. Signing Peterson, another player who had domestic violence (child abuse) history, will further tarnish the reputation of the Giants organization.
Aside from the off-the-field issues, Peterson would not be a good investment from a performance standpoint as well. Peterson is coming off a season in which he only rushed for 72 yards across three games, missing 13 games due to a torn meniscus. Running backs historically have the shortest NFL span, so adding a 31-year old coming off a knee injury would certainly be concerning.
The Giants rushing attack was non-existent in 2016, but they still would be doing themselves a disservice by bringing aboard Peterson. The Giants have Shane Vereen, Rashad Jennings, and Paul Perkins currently on their roster (863 combined rushing yards), and will probably draft another RB in the mid-rounds.
Even if they cut Jennings, adding a 31-year old Peterson will not yield better results. If the Giants truly want to improve their running game in 2017, they should focus on rebuilding the offensive line instead.
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In all likelihood, the Vikings will not keep Adrian Peterson on their 2017 roster if he wants to keep all of his projected $18 million salary. The NFL is a business, and Peterson may, in fact, be a cap casualty if he does not want to restructure his contract. If he is a free agent, the Giants must look the other way and should not consider signing him.