Another day, another surprising piece of running back news leading up to the 2020 NFL season.
On Friday morning, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Washington Football Team is releasing Adrian Peterson. While the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer still intends to play in 2020, rookie running back Antonio Gibson -- a popular breakout pick throughout the NFL and fantasy football universe -- has reportedly wowed Washington in camp (per Mike Garafolo). Still, this move comes as a surprise, seeing as the team released Derrius Guice after a domestic violence arrest.
Pelissero says that Ron Rivera valued Peterson's leadership as a veteran in the running back corps, but with a crowded backfield including Gibson, J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber and Bryce Love, Rivera saw no role for him.
By releasing Peterson, the Washington Football Team incurs a dead cap hit of only $750,000, meaning they'll save just under $2.5 million by releasing the running back and cutting ties with his salary. He was the most expensive running back on their roster, with McKissic's salary coming in at $1.61 million, Barber's at $1.36 million, Gibson's at around $900,000 and Love's at around $800,000 (via Spotrac).
Just a couple of weeks ago, Peterson called Washington his "second home" and said that the fan base was "incredible" (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Peterson may still have a lot of fuel left in the tank -- otherwise, he may not have set out to break Emmitt Smith's rushing record, as he stated was one of his goals -- and there will likely be suitors for his talents. The Buccaneers scooped up Leonard Fournette, leaving the Bears, Eagles, Patriots and some other potential landing spots as candidates to show interest in Peterson.
Peterson rushed for 1,940 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons with Washington, missing only one game and maintaining a respectable average of 4.2 yards per carry.
This is a developing story.
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