Sean Payton opens up about Adrian Peterson’s role

In a surprising turn of events, Adrian Peterson signed with the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2017 NFL draft.

For the Saints, inking a running back to a contract before a huge wave of talented rookie runners enters the NFL is odd, but speaks to the confidence they have in Peterson. For AP, it’s a smart business decision to settle for what he can get before the rookies arrive.

The question now is simple—where does Peterson fit with the Saints already boasting a strong starter by the name of Mark Ingram?

Head coach Sean Payton spoke about this with Josh Katzenstein of the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

I think the role will be very clear and defined. It’s a tough, long 16-week season. I think that he’s someone that certainly will be able to complement Mark. Those guys are different in some ways, and yet we feel like we’ve added another quality player. It goes without saying, [Peterson is] a guy that eventually is going to be in the Hall of Fame. But I think — we think — that he’s got more years in his career, so we’re excited for that to happen.

Cutting through the coach speak, Ingram will remain the starter, but the Saints wanted to grab a similar guy who take some of the workload off the starter and keep both guys fresh.

Either way, the Saints still figure to be a pass-first team. This makes Peterson’s fit all the more interesting because if he can stay healthy, he could have some huge running lanes to work with while defenses focus on Brees.