Fond of indicating plans to play until or close to his age-40 season, Adrian Peterson would like to stay with his current team beyond 2020.
The future Hall of Fame running back said he wants to re-sign with the Lions, veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson tweets. Peterson signed with the Lions shortly after Washington released him this summer, and the 35-year-old back has again proven productive without offseason acclimation.
Signed to a veteran-minimum deal, Peterson has made 10 starts for the Lions and gained 531 yards on the ground (3.7 per carry). He has added six touchdowns with Detroit, increasing his 14-year total to 123, and is barely 250 rushing yards shy of 15,000 for his career. Only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders reside in the 15,000-yard club. Peterson, whose 145 carries are tops among Lions this season, is barely 500 yards behind Sanders for fourth all time.
While Peterson has logged 3,181 carries (sixth all time), he has continued to produce as a late-career nomad. He rushed for 1,000 yards with Washington in 2018, despite signing there that August, and surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his two Washington campaigns. With Detroit, he has shared the backfield with rookie D’Andre Swift. The Lions have Kerryon Johnson under contract through 2021 as well, though Peterson has seen far more work than the 2018 second-round pick.
The Lions are set to hire a new GM and new head coach soon, so it will be interesting to see if Peterson will receive another chance in Detroit.
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