New York Giants considering signing Adrian Peterson, says head coach Ben McAdoo
Thursday 2 March 2017 13:22, UK
The New York Giants are considering signing running back Adrian Peterson when he becomes a free agent on March 9, according to head coach Ben McAdoo.
Peterson was informed by the Minnesota Vikings that they did not intend to pick up his option for the 2017 season meaning he will hit free agency for the first time in his career.
"We'll go take a look at him," McAdoo told reporters at the NFL combine. "We'll evaluate him, get a grade on anyone that is available and we'll make those decisions in terms of what is best for the Giants moving forward."
Peterson captured Giants fans' attention with this cryptic tweet last month.
The Giants may be in the market for a veteran running back after releasing Rashad Jennings last month. Shane Vereen and 2016 fifth-round pick Paul Perkins are the only other notable running backs currently on the roster.
When asked about the possibility of acquiring a veteran presence at the position, McAdoo talked up the contributions of Perkins in his rookie season.
"If it fits, if it's clean," McAdoo said. "Paul is a guy that we have confidence in. He missed all off-season last year because of the rules that are in place with rookies. He came into training camp and really had to catch up in a hurry. He had some success with special teams early, and ended up being a nice ball-carrier for us. He grew in [pass] protection as well."
The Giants were the NFL's 29th-ranked running attack last season with an average of 88.3 yards per game.
Meanwhile, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman is keeping the door open to bringing Peterson back to Minnesota but is waiting to see how much it will take.
"What you can't predict is what the market is going to be," Spielman told reporters at combine. "You may have expectations today and those expectations will change within a week. We have to be very flexible with Adrian or any of our guys that we want to sign back.
"We are very open with all our players," he continued. "We want to have all of them back if we can."
