Last offseason, the Washington Redskins took a flyer on Adrian Peterson. It paid off, and now they are bringing him back for two more years.
The Washington Redskins have made their second significant acquisition of the offseason. And in this case, it’s a re-signing.
The ‘Skins have reportedly agreed to re-sign Adrian Peterson after adding him to their roster last August. Peterson ran for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns on 251 carries last year as the Redskins’ lead back. He replaced rookie second-round pick Derrius Guice, who suffered a torn ACL in the preseason.
Peterson, 34, will make $8 million over two years in Washington, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
Running back Adrian Peterson has signed with the Redskins. Two years $8 million per source.
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 13, 2019
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Bringing back Peterson is a nice move for the Redskins. He is a good potential mentor for Guice and should provide solid ability as a backup. So, from that standpoint, the signing here is a smart one.
At the same time, there are some concerns about this deal. First of all, Peterson will need to get ample carries to stay both happy and effective. That could cause him to eat into Guice’s workload a bit which may be nice at first while Guice continues his recovery from a torn ACL, but it could also stunt his growth a bit.
Second, $4 million is a bit much to spend on a backup at running back. Perhaps they are viewing Peterson as more of a rotational option, but consider this. Mark Ingram got $5 million annually over three years from the Ravens. He is both younger and has less wear and tear than Peterson. So, that makes this contract a bit of an overpay. That’s not to say that it’s a bad deal. It’s just a little expensive.
Still, Washington is now set at running back and won’t need to acquire one in free agency or via the draft. And perhaps when the contract details get revealed, this deal will look more favorable, especially if it’s heavily incentive-based. The ‘Skins deserve praise for retaining one of their talented players and they can now focus on filling their remaining needs at safety, edge, offensive line, wide receiver, and of course, quarterback.