Predicting landing spots for the Redskins top-five pending free agents
Throughout the offseason, it has seemed like the Redskins will have a chance to bring back Adrian Peterson. A relationship between the two sides would make sense, as Peterson was solid as a fill-in starter last year and he also remained on the free agent market until August. So, a reunion seemed sensible.
However, nothing has come of that yet. There were some reports that Peterson could re-sign with the Redskins ahead of free agency, but he hasn’t yet inked a deal. For this reason, it seems likely that he will hit the open market this offseason.
In all likelihood, Peterson wants another chance to operate as a starter like he did last season in Washington. He wouldn’t get a chance to do that with the Redskins, as Derrius Guice seems likely to take over as the workhorse back. Peterson would be a great backup and mentor to Guice, but it’s possible that some team, needing a starter, could opt to use him as a one-year band-aid or make him part of a powerful one-two punch with a primary receiving back.
Washington Commanders
With that in mind, the question here is, will Peterson find a situation that’s to his liking? It’s unclear if any team will offer him a chance to work as a starter or at least operate in a prominent role. Lately, the Chicago Bears have been mentioned in connection with Peterson, so that could be a fit if Jordan Howard is traded. Other than that, the Philadelphia Eagles could end up having an interest in him as they lack a quality early-down runner on their roster.
The other issue will be Peterson’s compensation. If a team like the Bears views him as a temporary starter, the Redskins will have a tough time competing with them financially. The ‘Skins have minimal cap space and though they can create more, they can’t afford to sink a lot of resources into a backup running back. Even one as talented as Peterson. Backup running backs can be found fairly easily, as evidenced by the team signing Peterson off the street last August.
A reunion with Peterson remains possible, especially if few teams show interest in him as a starter, but it seems likely that there will be at least one that has a prominent role for AP. If that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine him returning to the Redskins in 2019.