New England Patriots Hosts Adrian Peterson for a Free Agent Visit
The New England Patriots currently have James White, Dion Lewis, D.J. Foster and Rex Burkhead on their roster, but they have yet to re-sign LeGarrette Blount. If Blount does not return, the team will have to add another running back capable of filling his role with the team. Well, looks like they may have found a potential replacement.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots have brought in former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson for a free agent visit on Monday. However, ESPN's Field Yates has reported that Peterson has already left town without signing a contract. Of course, he could still work something out with the Patriots in the future.
While the Patriots could be genuinely interested in Peterson, a lot of observers have noted that this might be a ploy to pressure Blount into re-signing with them.
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"They have yet to re-sign running back LeGarrette Blount, who led the league in rushing touchdowns last year and who remains a free agent. Assuming the team wants him back (why wouldn't it?), it's safe to assume Blount wants more than the team has offered," ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio said in his report. "So what better way to get Blount to take what's on the table than to openly flirt with someone else?" he continued.
Florio doesn't think Peterson would fit in well with the team, and he also pointed out that the Patriots could have stopped news of his visit from leaking out if they were seriously considering adding the running back.
However, the Patriots probably shouldn't rule out signing Peterson if he is willing to take a discount. If Blount decides not to return, Peterson can easily play the power running back role for the team.
Peterson may have left New England empty-handed, but he's not in a hurry to sign with a new team anyway. He's just going to look for the deal that can benefit him most.
