Saints Officially Sign RB Adrian Peterson To Two-Year, $7M Deal

Update:

The New Orleans Saints announced Tuesday that they have officially agreed to terms with RB Adrian Peterson on a two-year contract.

“We are excited to welcome Adrian to the New Orleans Saints,” said Head Coach Sean Payton. “It’s rare and unique to have the opportunity to add a Hall of Fame player to your roster. His career has been top-notch and speaks for itself. We think he will be an excellent fit in our locker room and in our offense. We look forward to the opportunity later this spring to work with him on the field along with the rest of our team.”

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Adrian Peterson tells Josina Anderson of ESPN that he’s signing a two-year, $7 million contract with the Saints.

• According to Anderson, Peterson’s 2017 compensation breaks down to a $1 million base salary that is fully guaranteed and a $2.5 million signing bonus.
• In 2018, Peterson will make another $3.5 million, but none of this figure is guaranteed. He would make $2.4 million in total roster bonuses to go along with a $750,000 roster bonus earned on the third day of free agency and $1.65 million in per-gamer game roster bonuses, a $1.05 million salary and a $50,000 workout bonus, per Anderson.
• Peterson’s receives an incentives package that can make the deal worth up to $8.25 million over the two years, per Anderson.

Peterson also released a statement to Anderson about signing with New Orleans:

“I am excited to be joining the New Orleans Saints. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. Most importantly, I chose this team because it just felt right within my spirit. Additionally, my wife and family added their confirmation with the same feelings. On offense, it goes without saying that the Saints are really solid behind Drew Brees. I feel like my skill set can make them even more dominant as a unit. They have a great offensive line, which is something that stood out to me as well. I could tell from talking to head coach Sean Payton over the last two weeks that he did his due diligence in evaluating how I could contribute. I also did a lot of homework on the defense as well. While I know that injuries have played a role in performance, I also see areas of potential with a lot of younger guys having the ability to step up. Lastly, it goes without saying that the Saints have an amazing fan base and I look forward to making them proud and creating everlasting memories.”

Peterson, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2007. He was entering the final year of his three-year, $44 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed and was set to make a base salary of $11.75 million to go along with a $6 million roster bonus due on March 11.

Peterson is currently testing the open market for the first time in his career.

In 2016, Peterson has rushed for 72 yards on 37 carries (1.9 YPC) to go along with three receptions for eight yards receiving and no touchdowns over the course of three games.

We had him featured in our Top 50 Available Free Agents list.