Adrian Peterson Says He’s Open to Playing Football Again

It sounds like the former NFL running back is toying with the idea of a comeback.

It wouldn’t be a proper NFL offseason without at least one player in retirement limbo teasing a return to the field.

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson hasn’t played since the 2021 season, but he also hasn’t officially retired, either. As NFL teams prepare to make key roster decisions in free agency, the 38-year-old told CBS Sports that he’s keeping his options open this year.

“I wouldn’t say I’m game ready right now,” Peterson said in the clip posted Friday. “I had to let my body recover. I had some injuries and stuff. My last injury was with Seattle—I had a pinched nerve, and I didn’t wanna go under the knife. It took about a year for that to finally heal, but I’m always open to go out there and play again. We’ll see what happens.”

"I'm always open to get out there and play again." - Adrian Peterson to @dannykanell pic.twitter.com/aayRKhwWnF

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 23, 2024

Peterson last suited up for the Seattle Seahawks, the last stop in a storied but tumultuous 15-year career. 

A former first-round pick by the Vikings in ’07, Peterson spent a decade in Minnesota setting franchise records for rushing yards (11,747) and rushing touchdowns (97) and earning widespread recognition as an all-time great running back before petering out in his early 30s. Between ’17 and ’21, he played for six different NFL teams.

“Mentally, I haven’t officially hung it up,” Peterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last May. “My mindset is, if God’s willing, maybe an opportunity presents itself and maybe it happens this season. I’ll go from there. But if nothing happens this season, for sure, I will be hanging it up.”

Peterson spent this past year competing on Dancing With The Stars and appears fully recovered from previous injuries. Two seasons removed from his last snap, the Oklahoma product hardly needs to prove himself as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer; however, he may need to prove himself as an efficient rotational ball-carrier to potential NFL suitors if he’s serious about a comeback in 2024.