Leonard Fournette was probably down and out as his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars came to an end. Considering the fact that he was a top-five draft pick just three years prior, getting waived by one of the worst teams in the NFL couldn't have been a great feeling. But months later, he's a Super Bowl champion, and he played a huge role in making that a reality for both himself and the Buccaneers.
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Thus, it seems like Tampa Bay is a nice place for a running back to land if he feels he still have something to prove. The RB room could be a little bit crowded — Fournette is an impending free agent, but the Bucs would like to bring him back, per Mike Garafolo — but LeSean McCoy could be out of the door. Would the Bucs make room for, say, Adrian Peterson to join Ronald Jones, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and potentially Fournette?
Peterson is hoping so. He told TMZ Sports that he would definitely be interested if the Bucs were also showing interest, and that playing with Tom Brady, "by itself, is enticing." There's also the obvious appeal of a championship contender bringing him on board, as the Bucs were given the second lowest odds to win Super Bowl LVI.
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It would make a lot more sense to bring Peterson in should Fournette garner significant interest elsewhere and have a better financial motive to leave Tampa Bay. And it's not like bringing in Peterson would diminish his role to one similar to McCoy's this past season. Yes, the 14-year veteran will be 36 years old. But he has also averaged 848 yards and 6.3 touchdowns per season over the last three years and it looks like he has a lot of fuel left in the tank.
If the Bucs could so quickly turn around Fournette's career, there's no doubt that Bruce Arians — who is Peterson's former coach — could work some magic with the future Hall of Famer. And if all plays out perfectly, Peterson could be grabbing his first ring after 15 long, impressive campaigns.
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