Minnesota Vikings: If Adrian Peterson is on the block, should they trade for him?

Dalvin Cook is out for the season. Adrian Peterson hasn’t fit in with the New Orleans Saints. Does that mean the Minnesota Vikings should trade for the longtime Minnesota star?

As we all know by now, the Minnesota Vikings lost Dalvin Cook for the season to an ACL tear against the Detroit Lions. The injury is a devastating turn of events for the Vikings, who came into Week 4 second in total offense. Not to mention, Cook’s 354 rushing yards ranks third in the NFL, even though he missed almost the entire second half against the Lions.

In his absence, the Minnesota Vikings will try to replace him with free agent signee Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. While neither one is likely to match the rookie’s production, they aren’t exactly bad replacements either. I mean, just two seasons ago Murray made the Pro Bowl with the Oakland Raiders, while McKinnon has plenty of starting experience with the Vikings.

Yet, there is reason for concern. Latavius Murray has openly stated that his ankle isn’t 100 percent and admittedly, he hasn’t looked great in limited action. As for McKinnon, he’s shown that he’s more effective as a change-of-pace back rather than a full-time starter.

Knowing this, the Vikings looked for another running back. According to ESPN reporter Field Yates, the Vikings entertained a quartet of backs consisting of Bobby Rainey, Stevan Ridley, Troymaine Pope and Josh Rounds. They ended up choosing Ridley.

I know… That’s not intriguing. But, there may be another option that’s far more intriguing. That is, Adrian Peterson.

The former Vikings star signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent last offseason, leaving Minnesota after 10 seasons. The expectation was that the former All-Pro back would help an already electric offense become even more dynamic. Contrary to popular opinion though, he’s been a complete bust in the Saints offense.

Ironically, he played his first game with the Saints at U.S. Bank Stadium against his former team. In the game, he struggled to get anything going on the ground, rushing six times for 18 yards. From there, fellow running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have dominated touches in the backfield over Peterson with far better production. As a result, he only has 27 carries for 81 yards, while spending most of his time on the bench.

In my view, Peterson to the Saints wasn’t a match made in Heaven from the beginning, considering their style of offense. Many agree, suggesting that the poor production is a result of a bad fit. In turn, there’s reason to believe that he’ll be on the trade block, if he isn’t already.

So, if you’re the Vikings, do you try to make a move for the greatest running back in Vikings history?

Simple answer. NO.

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I understood that the Peterson rumblings would surface in Minnesota after the Cook announcement. But, to think that he would actually help the offense is absolute ludicrous. In fact, I’d choose a less than 100 percent Murray over seeing Peterson take the reins in the Vikings backfield again.

You see, the Vikings offense just doesn’t fit Peterson. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur operates much of his offense out of the shotgun and relies on his backs to contribute to the pass game. Both of those tendencies are exactly what Peterson doesn’t do well. In fact, it’s a huge reason that he’s struggling with the Saints.

While there was a time when ‘All Day’ was unstoppable, those days are long gone. Considering his age and past injuries, it’s clear that Peterson has lost much of the explosiveness and playmaking ability that made him so great. In his prime, he could be a one-dimensional, rushing back and still make things happen with at least eight men in the box. Now, he’s having a hard enough time making it past the line of scrimmage.

Don’t get me wrong, Peterson will go down as the greatest Vikings back of all-time and it’s intriguing thinking about a return to Minnesota. Yet, there’s no reason to believe he’d help the team on the field. Personally, I’d go as far to say he wouldn’t.

Next: Five things we learned about the Vikings against the Lions

Sure, if Murray and McKinnon prove to be miserable in Cook’s absence, there may come a point when you couldn’t do better than Peterson. But, until then, let’s put to sleep calls for Peterson-to-Minnesota because that’s simply the wrong move to make.