Some may look at the news that Adrian Peterson was released by the Washington Football Team on Friday morning and find it a blessing in disguise for the 35-year-old veteran running back who was going to have to split carries a number of ways this season.
For Peterson himself, though, it’s still going to take some time for that news to process in his head. But for now, he can’t help but admit that he’s a bit upset by the release.
“It just sucks because I feel this team really has some promise and I won’t be a part of it,” Peterson said, via ESPN’s John Keim.
Promise is why Peterson wanted to stick around, and promise might be the reason he was released in the first place. Deciding to rid of the player who was slotted to be the RB1 in the first game of the season in early September is definitely a shock to all, but it was a decision that was driven by the fact that Washington feels confident in what they have in Antonio Gibson, and J.D. McKissic, and Bryce Love, and Peyton Barber. We’ve yet to see any of them actually perform on the field in Washington’s new system, but what they’ve done so far in training camp has the team at least confident enough that they’ll be able to have a lasting impact.
“I noticed that my role would be reduced,” Peterson said. “We got Gibson and J.D. and though we were all learning the same things, there are guys they selected during the draft and have in mind that they want to use for certain positions.”
Depending on where AP goes, he definitely could be better off down the road, where he could potentially play a meaningful role on a playoff-contending team, rather than leading a bunch of young players in Washington. For now, though, we can agree that this sucks a little bit. AP was an incredible player and an extraordinary teammate, and he will be missed in Washington.
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