Jets would be unwise to sign Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson’s 2017 option was declined by the Minnesota Vikings. It would be unwise for the New York Jets to pick him up.

Well, as of last week, the Adrian Peterson era is over in Minnesota. The Vikings have declined to pick up the veteran running back’s 2017 option, making him a free agent. While Peterson will probably be pretty solid on whatever team he gets picked up by, that team should not be the New York Jets.

This team does not have enough money to use on someone like Peterson, and while they have a lot of areas that need fixing, the running back position is not one of them. The Jets have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and everyone saw last season how that will affect a veteran running back.

If a running back over 30 doesn’t get enough time to find open running room, then he will get hit more than his aging body can take. These hits will ultimately lead to multiple injuries. Another reason this would be a bad idea is that this team needs to rebuild.

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The Jets are releasing a ton of veterans because they wanted to rebuild and clear cap space. If they were to pick up Peterson, then they would foil their plans of rebuilding. Along with all of this, the Jets already have two solid running backs; Matt Forte, and Bilal Powell. They should use these two guys efficiently, and build a tough offensive line around them.

Now, with that being said, it would be wise to draft a young running back in the late rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Forte is above 30, and Powell is pushing that. Because of this, there is a big possibility of injuries, especially with the poor offensive line. If they had some young legs on their roster, then they may be secured in case something does happen to them.

Next: What to expect from Quincy Enunwa in 2017

The bottom line is that signing Peterson would not be a good idea. The Jets have too many other areas that need fixing, and they don’t have enough money to waste on a veteran like Peterson who will undoubtedly either want another big payday or play for a team contending for a Super Bowl championship.