Should the Kansas City Chiefs consider signing Adrian Peterson?

Adrian Peterson was just released by the Washington Football Team, should the Kansas City Chiefs consider bringing him in for a workout?

Adrian Peterson is arguably the most well-known running back of the last decade and a half. From his days starring as an Oklahoma Sooner in the Big 12, to his time carrying the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs on the back of his incredible 2,000 yard season. He is one of the more physically gifted players in recent memory and his place in the top five all-time rushers in NFL history is a well-deserved one.

It seems his historic career may be nearing its conclusion. At the ripe-old age of 35, Adrian Peterson has been released by the Washington Football team mere days before the start of the 2020 NFL season. For a team that has relied on Adrian Peterson the last two seasons to the tune of nearly 2,000 yards, this is not shocking but a little surprising.

The question for many organizations at this point is whether bringing Adrian Peterson in for a workout could improve their team. This is certainly a conversation that every general manager is having, whether there’s much intensity behind it or not. So the question remains, does he make sense for the Kansas City Chiefs?

The answer is emphatically no. Whether or not Adrian Peterson has much left in the tank doesn’t really factor in here. The Chiefs offense going forward will showcase running backs who are extremely versatile, likely to burn you as much or even more in the passing game than they will in the running game.

Even in Adrian Peterson’s heyday, he was barely a threat in the passing game. His highest production in the passing game happened 11 seasons ago in 2009 and he really hasn’t come close to it since. For his entire career, the percentage of production he’s had in the passing game has amounted to only 14 percent of his total production.

Then there’s the fact that Peterson wouldn’t have any time to learn Andy Reid’s complex playbook. Even if the team did bring him in, you’d likely not see him on the field for at least a few games if not half the season. At that point, would he really even impact the team’s chances at repeating as Super Bowl champions? The answer is probably no.

Understandably, there will be some in Chiefs Kingdom who think bringing in a big name like Adrian Peterson will be a nice little boost to start the season. No disrespect to Peterson, as he has had himself a spectacular career, but the Chiefs shouldn’t think twice about passing on him.