NFL Oakland Raiders

Oakland Raiders Rumors: Could Adrian Peterson Be Trade Target?

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Adrian Peterson

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Following all of his legal issues and season-long suspension handed down from the NFL, Adrian Peterson has watched the Minnesota Vikings faithful sour on the idea of him returning to the Twin Cities.

Hence, on Thursday, Peterson stated that he thinks “maybe it’s time for me to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

With that in mind, the Oakland Raiders would be wise to make a trade offer for Peterson, especially considering their absolute dearth of talent at running back.

Over the last few seasons, the Raiders have suffered from severe ineptitude at the running back position. Although Darren McFadden has always shown promise as a potential top-tier back, injuries and inconsistency have ended any hope of him ever being more than a decent backup. The Raiders rolled the dice with Maurice Jones-Drew this past offseason, and that went about as poorly as it could have.

Some will say the move is unnecessary considering the emergence of sophomore Latavius Murray during Thursday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, as we’ve seen over the last two years, the 2013 sixth-round pick has problems staying healthy. He missed his entire rookie season due to an ankle injury, and left Thursday’s game with a concussion.

If the Raiders traded for Peterson, they’d be getting arguably the best running back in the NFL. Although he’s getting up there in age (29 years old) and has had his injury issues over the years, there’s no denying his abilities as a gamebreaking ball carrier. He won the league MVP award only two years ago after falling just short of the single-season rushing yards record, so he clearly still has some gas left in the tank.

It’s unclear what the Vikings would be expecting in return for Peterson – if they are even willing to trade him – but the Raiders would likely have to part with a sizable package in order to obtain his services. Their 2015 first-round pick is out of the question, but a second- or third-round pick wouldn’t be crazy if they got into a bidding war with other potential suitors such as the Dallas Cowboys.

Either way, the Raiders need to throw their hat in the ring if Peterson is put on the trading block. They need a reliable running back who can take pressure off of Derek Carr, and that’s exactly what Peterson would be if he was wearing silver and black.

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