Adrian Peterson Agrees To Two-Year Deal With Saints
BOSTON (CBS) -- Adrian Peterson has found himself a new team, and they're on the Patriots' 2017 schedule.
Peterson confirmed to ESPN's Josina Anderson on Tuesday that he plans to sign a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints worth a base value of $7 million. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport previously tweeted on Monday that Peterson was closing in on a deal with New Orleans that would pay him $3 million-plus in 2017.
Anderson later tweeted that only the $3.5 million ($1 million salary, $2.5 million signing bonus) paid to Peterson in the first year of the deal is guaranteed, effectively making it a one-year deal with a one-year option for the Saints.
Peterson released the following statement to ESPN:
"I am excited to be joining the New Orleans Saints. 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. They have a great offensive line, which is something that stood out to me as well.
"I could tell from talking to head coach Sean Payton over the last two weeks that he did his due diligence in evaluating how I could contribute. I also did a lot of homework on the defense as well. While I know that injuries have played a role in performance, I also see areas of potential with a lot of younger guys having the ability to step up. Lastly, it goes without saying that the Saints have an amazing fan base and I look forward to making them proud and creating everlasting memories."
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The Patriots recently hosted Peterson for a workout in Foxboro, but were not expected to make the former free-agent running back an offer. That Peterson even visited the Patriots came as a surprise, in light of the running back's highly publicized issues with the abuse of his child and the Krafts' strong public stance against associating with players who have similar off-field problems.
New England heads to New Orleans to play the Saints in Week 2 of the 2017 regular season.
