Pre – draft:
On January 15th, 2007, Peterson declared that he would forgo his senior year of college and enter the 2007 NFL draft(72). Coming into the league, he was known as a tall, upright running possessing a rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size, and vision, along with a highly aggressive running style(10). His rare talent as both a great breakaway and power runner has often raised comparisons to past legends, including Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Franco Harris, and Jim Brown(73). Concerns about his injuries suffered during college were noted by the media and potential NFL teams(74)(9)(8)(75). He started 22 out of 31 games in his college career and had a dislocated shoulder during his first year (although he did not miss any games), a high ankle sprain his sophomore year, and a broken collarbone his final year at Oklahoma(74). His durability was a consideration for at least two teams in their draft analysis,(75) which impacted selection position. Prior to the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was compared by professional football scouts to Eric Dickerson.(76
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Minnesota
Vikings:
2007
Season:
On April 28th, 2007, Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round with the seventh overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft(80). Peterson was the first running back selected and the first of three of the Oklahoma Sooners to be drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft(81). At a press conference during the draft, Peterson announced, “My collarbone, I would say it’s 90% healed. A lot of teams know that, and I don’t see it stopping me from being prepared for the season.”(82)
Peterson
believed he was a player that a franchise could build around. In an interview with IGN (an entertainment
media website) following the NFL Draft, he said, “I’m a player who is coming in
with the determination to turn a team around.
I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win … and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what
I can do next. Things like that can
change the whole attitude of an organization.
I want to win.”(83) He
later told the Star Tribune in an interview, “I want to be the best player to
ever play this game.”(84)
Nearly three months after being drafted, he was signed by the Vikings on
July 29th, 2007. His contract
was worth $40.5 million dollars over five years, with $17 million guaranteed.(85)
Peterson
started his outstanding rookie year with high expectations for himself; he
announced ambitious goals including being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the
Year and rushing for over 1,300 yards during the course of the year. Just 11 weeks into his rookie season with the
Vikings, Peterson was well on his way to Dickerson’s record and considered one
of the elite running backs in the NFL.(86)
On
September 9th, 2007, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in his
first NFL regular season game against the Atlanta Falcons(87). In addition to his rushing yardage, he scored
his first professional football touchdown on a 60 – yard pass reception from
quarterback Tavaris Jackson(87).
Over his first three regular season games, his 431 yards (271 rushing
and 160 receiving) from scrimmage are a team record(88). For his performance in the three games,
Peterson received the NFL Rookie of the Month award for both September and
October 2007.(89)(90)
His
breakout game as a professional came on October 14th, 2007, against
the Chicago Bears, highlighted by a three – touchdown performance and a then –
franchise record of 224 rushing yards on 20 carries(91). Peterson established additional team records
for a rookie during this game, which included the most 100 – yard games rushing
and the longest touchdown run from scrimmage(92). He also set an NFL rookie record with 361 all
– purpose yards in a single game. His
607 rushing yards through the first five games of the season is second in NFL
history to Eric Dickerson(93).
For his performance, he was named the Offensive Player of the Week for
the first time in his career(94).
Following Peterson’s record performance, Deion Sanders, now an NFL
Network analyst, said about him: “He has the vision of a Marshall Faulk, the
power of an Earl Campbell, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson. Let’s pray he has the endurance of an Emmitt
Smith.”(95) He has also been
compared to Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett by Star Tribune sports journalist
Jim Souhan.(96)
Three
weeks later, on November 4th, 2007, Peterson broke his own franchise
record as well as the NFL single game rushing yard record (previously held by
Jamal Lewis since 2003) when he rushed for 296 yards on 30 carries and three
rushing touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers in a home game in Minneapolis(97)(98). That game was his second game of over 200
rushing yards, a feat no other rookie has ever accomplished in a season(99). Peterson had a 19 – yard reception in the
game to give him 315 scrimmage yards in the game(100). Peterson recorded the third – most scrimmage
yards in a single game and the sixth game overall with at least 300 scrimmage
yards in NFL history(101).
His historic performance earned him his second Offensive Player of the
Week title in his rookie season(102). In addition to the NFL rushing record in a
single game, it took him past 1,000 rushing yards for the year after just eight
games(99). His 1,036 rushing
yards represents the best eight – game performance by a rookie in NFL history.(103)
In honor
of Peterson’s record – breaking performance against the San Diego Chargers, the
jersey he wore that day was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame(104). On November 11th, 2007, just a
week later, Peterson injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee
in a game against the Green Bay Packers(105). The injury occurred in the third quarter of a
34 – 0 at Lambeau Field on a low tackle by Packers cornerback Al Harris(105) almost a month after the injury, Peterson
returned to action on December 2nd, 2007, against the Detroit Lions
scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards.(106)
On
December 18th, he was named as the starting running back for the
2008 NFC Pro Bowl team(107).
On January 2nd, he was named The Associated Press NFL
Offensive Rookie of the Year(108)(109). He was named to the Pro Football Writers
Association All – Rookie Team for the 2007 season.(110)
On
February 10th, 2008, Peterson won the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl MVP award
with 16 carries for 129 rushing yards along with two touchdowns. The 129 rushing yards was the second most in
Pro Bowl history. He was the first
rookie since Marshall Faulk in 1994 to win the Pro Bowl MVP award(111). Peterson and Faulk are currently the only NFL
players to win both the NFL Pro Bowl MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the
same year. Peterson finished in second
place in rushing yards (1,341) in the 2007 season behind LaDainian Tomlinson,
who finished with 1,474 rushing yards(112). He also caught 19 passes for 268 yards and
returned 16 kickoffs for 412, giving him 2,021 all – purpose yards (6th
in the NFL).(113)
2008
season:
Peterson
and the Vikings entered the 2008 season with high expectations and as he did
during his rookie season, Peterson set high goals for himself including a 2,000
– yard campaign and the NFL MVP award(114). Questions remained as Peterson’s durability
and the ability of the Vikings offense to take the focus of opposing defenses
off Peterson.
Peterson
has a phenomenal second season. He
played in all 16 games, of which he started 15.
He recorded ten games going over 100 rushing yards to go along with ten
rushing touchdowns across the season.
His week 10 performance against the Green Bay Packers earned him his
third career Offensive Player of the Week nod(115). Peterson finished leading the league in
rushing with 1,760 yards,(116)(117) which marks the third – most
yards in a sophomore season behind Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 - yard season, and
Chris Johnson’s 2,006 – yard season, which occurred in 2009. In Peterson’s first 30 games, he had 3,101
yards, which marks the third best start to a career for running backs behind
Dickerson with 3,600 yards and Jim Brown with 3,144 yards. He became the fourth running back to lead the
league in yards per game in his first two seasons along with Brown, Earl
Campbell, and Dickerson. In recognition
of his 2008 season, he was named the recipient of the Bert Bell Award(118). On January 14th, 2009, Peterson
was named to his second AP All – Pro team in two years.(119)
The
Vikings made the playoffs with a 10 – 6 record(120). In his playoff debut, Peterson had 83 rushing
yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 26 – 14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
in the Wild Card Round.(121)
2009
season:
Prior to
the start of the 2009 season, analysts of both the NFL Network and ESPN named
Peterson the best running back in the NFL today. However, the arrival of quarterback of Brett
Farve, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, coming out of
retirement brought both expectation and speculation about Peterson’s new role
in the offense(122). Head
coach Brad Childress, however, stated that he wanted to continue leaning on
Peterson, giving him a large number of carries.
Farve worked well into the offense through the first half of the season,
re – establishing Peterson’s ability with a passing attack. Peterson had 917 rushing yards through week
10, while the Vikings had a record of 8 – 1.(123)
Peterson
opened the season by rushing for 180 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns
against the Cleveland Browns, setting a new Vikings franchise record in the
season opener(124). He again
broke the hundred – yard barrier in week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, with
143 yards and 22 carries. His next 100 –
yard effort came against the Detroit Lions, with 133 yards on 18 carries,(125)
and he was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week(126). Overall, he finished the season with 1,383
rushing yards and a league – high 18 rushing touchdowns to go along with a
career – high 43 receptions for 436 receiving yards.(127)(128)
In the
playoffs, Peterson had 63 rushing yards and a 19 – yard reception as Minnesota
defeated the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 34 – 3 in the Divisional Round(129). However, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl
XLIV champion New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship in overtime by a score
of 31 – 28. Peterson rushed for 122
yards and three touchdowns in the loss(130). Peterson was voted to his third consecutive
Pro Bowl on December 29th. He
was the starting running back for the NFC team(131). For the second consecutive season, he was
named as a first – team All – Pro.(132)
2010
season:
Peterson
opened the 2010 season strongly with 392 yards and three touchdowns through the
first three weeks(133). His
week 3 performance of 160 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against the
Detroit Lions earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 80 – yard rushing touchdown in the third
quarter was tied for the longest rush by any player that season(134)(135)(136). In week 6, he went over the 5,000 – yard
career rushing mark against the Dallas Cowboys(137). He tied for the sixth fastest to reach the
5,000 – yard plateau(138). At
week 7, Peterson was second in the league with 684 yards, averaging 114 yards
per game, but the Vikings had dropped to a disappointing record of 2 – 4(139). By week 16, Peterson had rushed for 1,267
yards with 12 touchdowns(140)(141).
Peterson, who was infamous for fumbling the ball in pervious seasons,
had a dramatic change in the 2010 season with only one fumble during the
regular season, a remarkable turnaround from his previous performances. While the Vikings missed the playoffs,
Peterson represented his team in the Pro Bowl(142). After the season, Peterson was voted as the
third – ranked player and top overall running back by his fellow players on the
NFL Network’s list of the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.(143)
2011
season:
On
September 10th, 2011, the Vikings signed Peterson for $96 million
dollars over the course of seven seasons, making him the highest – paid running
back in NFL history(144).
Peterson reached the 6,000 – yard milestone on September 18th,
2011, in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers(145). On October 9th, Peterson scored
three touchdowns in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals(146),
setting a new franchise record. He later
earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance during the
game(147)(148). In a week 10
game against the Oakland Raiders, Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain late in
the first quarter(149). He
was later ruled out for their week 11 game against the Atlanta Falcons.(150)
On
December 24th, Peterson was injured by safety DeJon Gomes and needed
help off the field in a week 16 game against the Washington Redskins(151).
On December 26th, he was placed on injured reserve having suffered a
torn ACL and MCL.(152)
In the
2011 season, Peterson had 208 carries for 970 rushing yards and 12 rushing
touchdowns to go along with 18 receptions for 139 receiving yards and one
receiving touchdown(153). He
was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.(154)
2012
season: MVP season:
Peterson
started week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, although his status was listed
as questionable(155). He
rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns in his first game eight months after his
ACL and MCL tear(156). He
passed Robert Smith for the most rushing yards in franchise history(157)(158). On October 21st, against the
Arizona Cardinals, he had 153 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 21 –
14 victory(159). For the
sixth time in his career, he earned Offensive Player of the Week honors(160). On November 4th, against the
Seattle Seahawks, he had 182 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 30
– 20 loss(161). He followed
that up with 171 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 34 – 24 victory in the
second divisional matchup with the Detroit Lions(162). On December 2nd, against the Green
Bay Packers, he had 210 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 23 – 14
loss(163). In week 14,
against the Chicago Bears, he had 154 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns
to earn another Offensive Player of the Week nod(164)(165). In week 15 against the St. Louis Rams, he had
212 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 36 – 22 win(166). By week 16, Peterson was leading the NFL in
rushing with 1,898 yards and averaging 6.0 yards a carry. In addition, he had 11 touchdowns, along with
215 receiving yards.(167)
Entering
week 17, he needed 208 yards to break the NFL single – season record for the
most rushing yards (2,105), set in 1984 by Eric Dickerson. That week, the Vikings played the Green Bay
Packers needing a win to clinch a playoff berth. The game was tied at 34 in the fourth quarter
when Peterson ran for 26 yards, setting the Vikings up for a game – winning
field goal with three seconds left(168). The Vikings chose the field goal, which sent
them to the playoffs, but also left Peterson nine yards short of breaking the
record(169). In December,
Peterson rushed for a total of 861 yards, the most for a single month in NFL
history. As a result, he earned NFC
Offensive Player of the Month for December(170). Peterson became the second player (Earl
Campbell, 1980) to rush for 150 or more yards in seven games during an NFL
season and had 1,019 yards after contact(171). He finished the 2012 season with 348 carries
for 2,097 rushing yards, the second – most ever for a running back in a single
season(172)(173). Peterson
became only the seventh player in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing
yards. The Vikings improved from 3 – 13
in 2011 to 10 – 6, qualifying as the NFC’s sixth seed in the playoffs(174). In the wild card round, with Vikings’
starting quarterback Christian Ponder unable to start due to injury, the
Vikings fell to the Green Bay Packers in a rematch by a score of 24 – 10(175). The team’s record, alongside Peterson’s
historic season, earned him the Offensive Player of the Year and the NFL Most
Valuable Player awards(176).
In addition, he earned the Bert Bell Award for the second time in his
career(171). His comeback
from an ACL tear the season before also earned him second place in the NFL
Comeback Player of the Year award voting, coming in second to Denver Broncos
quarterback Peyton Manning(177).
He was named to his fifth career Pro Bowl and was named as a first –
team All – Pro for the third time(178)(179). After the completion of the season, Peterson
underwent surgery for a sports hernia.
It became known that Peterson played through this injury starting in the
last quarter of the season(180).
He was ranked as the best player in the NFL amongst his peers on the NFL
Top 100 Players of 2013(181).
As of 2024, Peterson remains as the most recent non – quarterback player
in the league to win the NFL MVP award.(182)
2013
season:
Peterson
opened his 2013 season by taking his first carry of the year 78 yards for a
touchdown(183). He finished
the game with 18 carries for 93 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the
34 – 24 loss to the Detroit Lions(184). Peterson struggled in the first three games
of the season without All – Pro fullback Jerome Felton, but upon his return in
week 4, Peterson rushed for 140 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers(185)(186). On October 10th, Peterson missed
practice for a “personal reason” and it was later revealed that his son was in
critical condition. Peterson’s son later
died due to injuries suffered from an assault, apparently by the mother’s live
– in boyfriend. The child was two years
old(187). Despite the loss
and time spent answering the relentless media inquiries, he played against the
Carolina Panthers. The Panthers defeated
the Vikings by a score of 35 – 10(188)(189)(190). On November 3rd, against the
Dallas Cowboys, he had 140 rushing yards and a touchdown(191). On November 24th, in a 26 – 26 tie
with the Green Bay Packers, he had 146 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown(192). On December 1st, against the
Chicago Bears, he had 35 carries for 211 rushing yards in the 23 – 20 victory(193). Against the Bears, Peterson reached 10,000
career rushing yards. He became the
third fastest player to reach the milestone(194). Peterson turned in the fifth highest rushing
yardage total for the season with 1,266 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 14
games(195). He was named to
his sixth career Pro Bowl as a result of his successful season(196). He was ranked fourth by his fellow players on
the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 for his fourth consecutive finish in the top
ten in the players’ ranking.(197)
2014
season:
Peterson
opened the 2014 season rushing for 75 yards on 21 carries in a 34 – 6 road
victory over the St. Louis Rams(198). Five days later, on September 12th,
2014, Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges and subsequently deactivated
for Minnesota’s week 2 game against the New England Patriots(199). Amid those child abuse allegations, on
September 15th, the Vikings reinstated Peterson and he was scheduled
to play against the New Orleans Saints(200). However, on September 17th,
Peterson was placed on the NFL’s Exempt / Commissioner’s Permission list, a
similar transaction to the Restricted List, which required that Peterson was to
“remain away from all team activities”(201). After accepting a plea deal in early
November, Peterson planned to return as early as week 11(202). On November 18th, the NFL
announced that Peterson would be suspended for the remainder of the 2014 season
without pay. In December his legal
appeal was upheld, and Peterson was scheduled for a federal court appeal
hearing on February 6th, 2015(203). Despite his tumultuous season, he was ranked
62nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015,
dropping 58 spots from the previous season.(204)(205)
2015
season:
On
February 26th, 2015, Peterson was reinstated to the league after
U.S. District Court Judge David Doty ruled in the NFL Players Association’s
lawsuit against the NFL on Peterson’s behalf(206)(207)(208). Peterson returned to the Vikings on June 2nd(209). Peterson struggled in his first game back,
taking the ball ten times for 31 yards in a 20 – 3 loss to the San Francisco
49ers(210). He bounced to
form in week 2, picking up 134 yards on 29 carries against the Detroit Lions(211)
(the eighth 100+ yard rushing game against the Lions in his career). The Vikings rushed out to an 8 – 3 start,
with Peterson averaging 106 rushing yards per game and breaking eight
touchdowns(212). The period
was highlighted with the game against the Oakland Raiders on November 15th,
in which Peterson rushed 26 times for 203 yards, including an 80 – yard
touchdown run(213). This was
his sixth career 200+ yard rushing game, tying O.J. Simpson for the most in
history(214). Two week later,
against the Atlanta Falcons, he had 158 rushing yards and two rushing
touchdowns in the 20 – 10 victory(215). For the second time in his career, he earned
NFC Offensive Player of the Month.(216)
Peterson
struggled more down the stretch, eclipsing 100 yards only once in the final
five regular season games and one playoff game.
In the first quarter of a narrow 23 – 20 loss on the road against the
Arizona Cardinals in week 14, Peterson scored his 100th career
touchdown(217). Week 17 saw
the Vikings defeat the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North Division
Championship. In the game, Peterson
recovered a Teddy Bridgewater fumble late in regulation to preserve the 20 – 13
victory(218). Peterson was
just the third player in history over the age of 30 to lead the NFL in single –
season rushing yards(219). He
finished with a league – high 327 carries for 1,485 rushing yards and 11
touchdowns(220)(221). He
earned his third career rushing title, becoming the first player to accomplish
the feat three times since Barry Sanders(222). He was named as a first – team All – Pro for
the fourth time and was chosen for his seventh career Pro Bowl(223)(224). He was ranked as the best running back and
the fifth best player on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 players’ list(225). In the wild card round of the playoffs
against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 45 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards, and
a fumble in the narrow 10 – 9 home loss.(226)(227)
2016
season:
Peterson
started the 2016 season quietly with only 31 rushing yards on 19 carries in a
25 – 16 win over the Tennessee Titans(228). With the Vikings playing the first ever
regular season game at U.S. Bank Stadium in week 2 against the Green Bay
Packers on Sunday Night Football, Peterson rushed for 19 yards until
leaving the game with an apparent knee injury(229). The next day, it was revealed that the right
knee had a torn meniscus(230)(231).
It was also revealed that the knee had a mild LCL (lateral collateral
ligament) but it did not need surgery(232). He was placed on injured reserve on September
23rd, 2016(233).
On December 17th, the Vikings activated Peterson to the
active roster. He returned to action in
week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts(234)(235). Despite only playing three games, Peterson
was still ranked 98th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of
2017.(236)
On
February 28th, 2017, the Vikings announced that they would not
exercise Peterson’s 2017 option on his contract, making him a free agent at the
start of the 2017 league year. Had the
Vikings exercised the option, they would have had to pay him $18 million
dollars for the 2017 season(237).
Peterson’s tenure with the Vikings ended with him leading the NFL in
rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during that time period from the 2007
season to the 2016 season.(238)
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