Report: Adrian Peterson agrees to two-year, $7 million deal with Saints

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Adrian Peterson will be playing in the Minnesota Vikings season opener this September. He’ll just be doing so for the team on the opposite sidelines.

Peterson reportedly told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com that he has agreed to a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints worth a total of $7 million.

Peterson also gave the full details of the contract as well. The deal is a one-year contract to start with an option for a second year for New Orleans. Peterson will earn $3.5 million in fully guaranteed money this season with a $2.5 million signing bonus and $1 million in guaranteed base salary.

His 2018 option would carry $3.5 million in non-guaranteed money with $2.4 million in roster bonuses. The $3.5 million comes from $1.05 million in base salary, $1.65 million in per game roster bonuses, a $750,000 roster bonus that triggers on the third day of the league year and a $50,000 workout bonus.

Incentives also exist that could raise the total value of the contract.

With those parameters in place, Peterson would carry a salary cap charge of $2.25 million this year for the Saints and a $4.75 million total charge in 2018.

The Saints currently have $8.5 million in salary cap space according to the NFLPA database.

New Orleans is set to visit Peterson’s former team on Monday Night Football to open the 2017 season.

94 responses to “Report: Adrian Peterson agrees to two-year, $7 million deal with Saints

  1. This seems like one of the worst fits for him. Good news for NOLA heads though, clearly the team is now in all or nothing mode to finish out Brees’s career

  2. You knew some team would bite! He’s your problem child now…good luck keeping him happy, keeping him healthy, and have fun feeding his delusional reality.

  3. Very generous donation by the Saints to give this 32 year old, injured, declining RB $3.5 mil guaranteed. The NFL should see if they can turn this into a United Way ad.

  4. Seems like an odd fit. AP gets better the more carries he gets and he’s non-existent in the pass game. Is Sean Payton really going to commit to the run all of a sudden?

  5. Bad move, Saints. Peterson is now an average back with diminishing skills. He fumbles a lot, can’t catch passes, can’t block well, and is very one-dimensional. Plus, he’s 31. How is he going to fit into the Saints’ offense, unless they plan to run off-tackle a lot this year? I’d have taken Jamaal Charles before Peterson.

  6. Stupid move by the Saints, but a good one by Adrian. Looks like he’ll be able to cover his child support payments for at least another year or two.

  7. This is going to feel a lot like Emmitt Smith in a Cardinals uniform. More like Halloween than NFL.

  8. As far as contracts go, doesn’t seem high risk for the Saints. If he adds anywhere near the dimension to their offense that he showed in MN, they are going to be a great team on that side of the ball.

  9. He’s got nothing left. Good free agents are often signed within the division. The fact that the Packers, Bears, and Lions weren’t interested should tell you something.

  10. This move that makes no sense for the Saints. A fading superstar who doesn’t even fit your offense? Someone needs to tell them their team needs to be looking towards the future.

  11. What a huge slap in the face for the skoltrolls. Remember all the smack talk you spewed out of your cranial sewer holes about Favre?

    The question is when will the 1st video of a skoltroll burning his ap jersey be on youtube?

    What if the Saints make it to minisoda next Feb?

  12. If ya thought gb’s coaching staff was “incensed” about Lang; wait ’til the cheesehead media king Bobby McGinn prints the gospel on nissing out on peterson.
    The schism is real, folks.

  13. Saints way overpaid on this one, which explains why they have cap issues and don’t win much.

    Peterson has been washed up for a couple of years now.

  14. I don’t get it. Peterson has never been known as a receiving back. NO throws 800 times a game.

    Maybe Peterson just wants to light up the Vikings, then retire a week later.

  15. Ap will have a break out season, but to bad you need a defense to win a championship. who dat.. who going beat those saints… everyone!! did someone poop on Drew Bree’s face?

  16. As a Vikings fan, I’d like to put a smart, witty comment about this story……but as a Vikings fan, I just don’t care about it anymore.

  17. I mean, technically, the Vikings will be hosting the Saints, but I understand that’s difficult to confirm…

  18. Kinda far off from 8 million per year like he wanted. I’m certain the Vikings would have paid closer to 6M/year and he thought he was getting the shaft. Glad he’s gone tho…

  19. Wish him the very best, though he would still be a Viking had his salary demands been what the Saints paid for him from the get go.

  20. Seems like a win-win…Decent value for a good running back.

    7 million dollars will buy quite a few switches so his kids won’t get out of line in the big easy either…

  21. They will get another 9 M when they drop Byrd on June 1.

    Of course, they will sign him back on a incentive laden contract. then we will have Vaccaro, Bell, Bush, and Byrd to run the three safety sets, that began to work later in the season.

  22. Overpaid. The time between the start of him meeting with the Saints was long enough to indicate that he wanted way too much. The Saints should have just waited for the draft and picked a RB that would fit well within the Saints offense. That and the fact that the draft is only a couple of days away, makes me question the smarts of the Saints front office.

  23. So, as a note for the Saints fans grousing, for the same amount of money and without the draft pick that the Patriots used to pick up backup running back Mike Gillislee.

    This looks like a better deal.

  24. Tim Hightower was successful in Peyton’s scheme last season and there is no reason to believe that AP won’t be at least as successful. There are a lot of Vikings fans trolling this acquisition ( understandable given his history there ), but in the big picture, 3.5 M for this season may end up being a bargain if AP is even half of his former self.

  25. I think he fits the Saints offense better than people think. It’s not as if they feature their running game anyway, and if there is any quarterback who’s pass you have to respect more than Brees than his name is probly Brady.

    So who cares if they show shotgun with AD in the formation?

    Def not ideal and he should have stayed with the Vikes or held out for a contender. But he could do well in the Saints system.

    Just not on MNF hopefully 🙂

  26. When will people figure it out that NFL players do not go into the hall of fame with one team. All teams they played for are represented, regardless of how things ended. Favre had the Falcons and Jets listed too. It’s not their choice.

  27. All Day is already an upgrade over 2.1 YPC Ingram.
    ======================
    Ingram averaged 5.1 YPC last year

  28. Ap will have a break out season, but to bad you need a defense to win a championship. who dat.. who going beat those saints… everyone!! did someone poop on Drew Bree’s face?
    ==========================
    Jealousy is a horrible trait…

  29. I hope this is real. Judging by how Sean Payton has wasted Mark Ingrams career so far AP will have a bad time in NO. Team isnt good and he definitely doesnt fit their offense. Clearly the guy just wanted to play anywhere.

  30. dawoger says:
    Apr 25, 2017 7:27 AM
    What a huge slap in the face for the skoltrolls. Remember all the smack talk you spewed out of your cranial sewer holes about Favre?

    The question is when will the 1st video of a skoltroll burning his ap jersey be on youtube?

    What if the Saints make it to minisoda next Feb?
    ———————————
    You do realize the Vikings didn’t want him back right? Troll harder next time.

  31. Favre gets replaced, and the Packer fans bash him nonstop because he doesn’t retire as a Packer. AP gets replaced, signs with a new team, and the Vikings fans wish him good luck (except in week 1 against the Vikings).

    You see the difference between the fan bases? AP didn’t fit into Vikings offense anymore. It was time to part ways. No ill will. I think he will play decent to well for the Saints. Good luck to him. Better luck to the Vikings.

  32. It’s a bargain for the Saints compared to the $30M+ the Vikings wasted on this guy to take vacations two out of the last three years, not to mention the idol-worship they blindly insisted on accommodating.

    If he has gas in the tank you can bet he’ll burn it up on Opening Day.

  33. I don’t like him but from a football standpoint this is a good signing.

    He’ll go from a team where the opposition always stacked the line to team where teams can’t do that because Brees would eat them alive.

    He won’t be the lead back but will be there as a backup and to save some wear and tear on Ingram. He should be a decent option on short yardage situations.

  34. I hope runs all over the Vikings on opening night. That will really annoy Vikings fans!

  35. outlaw53 says:
    Apr 25, 2017 9:29 AM

    Tim Hightower was successful in Peyton’s scheme last season and there is no reason to believe that AP won’t be at least as successful. There are a lot of Vikings fans trolling this acquisition ( understandable given his history there ), but in the big picture, 3.5 M for this season may end up being a bargain if AP is even half of his former self.
    _____________________________________

    This is one of the few comments here that makes sense. AP is not going to be the #1 back. He’s a replacement for Hightower who went to the 49ers. He will rotate in to relieve Ingram.

  36. and the hate continues….pretty sad state of affairs when you hate just to hate. I’m glad for Peterson and the Saints. I hope it works out for both of them.

  37. ariani1985 says:
    Apr 25, 2017 8:57 AM
    The packers trolls just soiled their diapers with envy!

    —————-

    Why? Because now Minnesota will be battling the Bears for last place in the division?

  38. People are so quick to slam this move, and I do admit it looks odd on the surface…but if you think about it, it’s not a terrible fit. Ingram had 251 touches and Hightower had 155 touches last year as the backup. Peterson will get meaningful touches, mark it down. Maybe not what he’s used to, but it’s not like he’ll be rotting on the bench. So for AP, he gets a meaningful role on a team with a HOF QB. Not only that, he also gets the best possible contract (2 years, 7 million) that he could hope for at his age and recent history.

    For the Saints, it’s a low risk/high reward move. They’re only paying 3.5 million this year for (at worst) a Hightower replacement and (at best) a motivated AP, and we’ve all seen what he can do when he’s trying to redeem himself. Not saying he’s still capable, but it’s worth a shot. BTW…people are underestimating AP’s ability to catch the ball. He’s no Marshall Faulk in that category, but he’s averaged 31 catches per 16 games played for his career.

  39. This reminds me of the Champ Baily signing a few years back. AP won’t get cut before the end of camp but I imagine he will be a non factor or on IR before the end of the season.

  40. conormacleod says:
    Apr 25, 2017 9:49 AM
    Favre gets replaced, and the Packer fans bash him nonstop because he doesn’t retire as a Packer. AP gets replaced, signs with a new team, and the Vikings fans wish him good luck (except in week 1 against the Vikings).

    You see the difference between the fan bases? AP didn’t fit into Vikings offense anymore. It was time to part ways. No ill will. I think he will play decent to well for the Saints. Good luck to him. Better luck to the Vikings.
    /////////////////////////////////////

    Since when did Favre not retire as a Packer?

    I do see the difference between the fanbases. Viking fans, like you, practice self-serving delusion. Packers fans were voted the most knowledgeable fanbase by a vote of active players several years ago.

    The difference is readily apparent.

  41. All Day is already an upgrade over 2.1 YPC Ingram.
    ======================
    Ingram averaged 5.1 YPC last year

    =====================================

    And AP averaged 1.9, which is still below the fake news 2.1

  42. f1restarter says:
    Apr 25, 2017 7:56 AM
    It would be hilarious if Adrian went into the Hall of Fame as a Saint.

    ————————————

    We all have further proof of your NFL acumen, or lack there of. Players don’t go into the HOF as anything. They have a teamless bust and a plaque listing the teams they played for.

  43. f1restarter says:
    Apr 25, 2017 7:56 AM

    It would be hilarious if Adrian went into the Hall of Fame as a Saint.

    If he has his best statistical year as a Saint, then he probably will, just like Favre has his Viking uniform on display next to a Packer uniform in the HOF. That was hilarious for us Viking fans!

  44. Well he’s had plenty of time to recover after trying to come back to early for some crazy reason and hasn’t been beat on so he should be healthy. The negatives just outweigh any positives that can be found. Mark Ingram is a good running back and look how many years it took him to rush for a 1000 yards in a season. It’s a passing team and I see two power RBs being butt hurt because they don’t get the ball enough. What happened to the thunder and lightning concept? Don’t ever recall a team with 2 bruisers in the backfield. Ingram will get more touches because he can catch a little but pitching a fit and fumbling will have them both on the bench soon enough. Still say they draft a RB who can catch out of the backfield.

  45. The Dolphins didn’t even wanna spend $4 mil on LAMAR MILLER last year. I wonder if all the contract said was “YIKES”.

  46. Still think letting Hightower go was a mistake. That said, if there’s any “beast” left in AP, not a bad signing.

  47. AD made 18 M last year. He wanted the same this year. Vikes initially offered him 7-8M. He felt insulted. Now he ends up at 3.5M. Hahahahaha! Hey Beastmode, you watching this?

  48. Shame on the Saints. I will actively cheer against any team that lets child abusers play on their team.

  49. Stop with the $18 million talk. AD made almost 13 million. He was due $18 that is why they cut him.

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