Free-agent running back Adrian Peterson is interested in returning to the Saints. Saints coach Sean Payton hasn’t ruled out a reunion.
“This gets back to the notion that we had any argument in Minnesota [during a Week One game against the Vikings],” Payton told reporters on Saturday when asked about the possibility of signing Peterson given the four-game suspension imposed on Mark Ingram. “There was none. I think a ton of him, and that would be the part where if all of sudden we decided, ‘Hey, we’re going to look at additional players that are on the street,’ his name, there will be a few others. We have him on a board right now, who’s available. Veteran running backs stacked on a board graded, but he’s a tough player, warrior, and a great worker and we had a good relationship.”
Peterson signed with the Saints last year, before the Saints drafted Alvin Kamara. Once the regular season began, Peterson became frustrated with his lack of playing time and touches. Eventually, the Saints traded Peterson to the Cardinals.
This year, having Peterson makes sense for the first quarter of the season. When Ingram returns, however, the Saints could be right back where they were in 2017, with three tailbacks, a franchise quarterback, and only one football.