NFL Oakland Raiders

Dealing for Adrian Peterson Would Be A Costly Mistake For Oakland Raiders

Fresh Videos

By @Kevin_Saito

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Given the increasing likelihood that Adrian Peterson has played his last game in a Minnesota Vikings uniform, speculation has been running wild about possible landing spots for the embattled running back. There is little shortage of running back-needy teams that might be willing to take a chance on a talent like Peterson. Some have floated the idea that the Oakland Raiders, whose running game has been abysmally bad this season, might be willing to deal for Peterson.

If GM Reggie McKenzie did work a deal for him though, it would be one of the costliest mistakes of his tenure.

While Peterson is an incredible talent and still a top-five running back in the league, he wouldn’t be a good fit in Oakland for a number of reasons. Obviously from a PR standpoint, adding Peterson to the roster would bring with it criticism and negative attention from many corners. It would create an unwelcome media circus around the team. Peterson would be a distraction for a team that can’t afford to have them.

Beyond the PR aspect of dealing for Peterson though, there are far more practical reasons for McKenzie to avoid making any deal for the Vikings’ star. The first is money. With Peterson set to make nearly $13 million in 2015, $15 million in 2016 and $17 million in 2017, McKenzie would be tying up a lot of money into a running back who will have crossed that dreaded 30-year-old barrier that so many talk about.

While Peterson is an incredible running back and will likely still be productive past his 30th birthday, that is still a lot of money to invest in just one player who’s got a lot of wear and tear on his body already.

This is not to mention the fact that the Raiders already have a star in the making in Latavius Murray. Before he was injured against the Kansas City Chiefs, Murray showed everybody exactly why the Raiders drafted him in 2013. He also showed why OC Greg Olson has fumbled so badly in not getting Murray more touches all season long.

The bottom line, however, is that the Raiders already have a solid running back who is much younger, has less wear and tear on his body, and more importantly is far more cost effective. Throwing that sort of money at a single player doesn’t seem to be the McKenzie way – as evidenced by his dealings with former Raiders Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston.

But perhaps most importantly, to obtain Peterson’s services from the Vikings, the Raiders would have to pay a steep premium in draft picks. With the team very likely to have the first overall pick in next year’s draft, or a top-three at worst, they have the opportunity to pick an elite talent. However, it’s a draft pick that Minnesota will likely require in any deal for Peterson, and it’s a draft pick the Raiders absolutely cannot afford to give up.

That point, more than anything else, should keep McKenzie from pulling the trigger on any deal for the star running back. The Raiders are a team in need of fresh, young blood. The one and only silver lining to such a disastrous season is the fact that with the high pick they’ll be receiving, they will have the opportunity to draft an explosive young playmaker like Alabama WR Amari Cooper or USC DL Leonard Williams, and Oakland has pressing needs at both positions.

With a core of young, explosive talent like Derek Carr, Murray, Rod Streater, Sio Moore, Khalil Mack and T.J. Carrie, the Raiders are assembling what could be a dominant nucleus for some years to come. The Raiders simply cannot afford to give up a pick that will net them the next piece in the puzzle that, when completed, will lead them back to relevance and beyond.

Oakland must avoid the temptation to deal for Peterson and stick with the rebuilding plan in place.

Kevin Saito is a fiction writer, sports junkie, history nerd, and NFL contributor to www.RantSports.com Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or on Google

Share Tweet
Trending Now on