Jacksonville Jaguars would be crazy to go after Adrian Peterson

During free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars had interest in landing one of the offseason’s biggest prizes, but they lost out on former Dallas Cowboys star DeMarco Murray to the RB-hungry Philadelphia Eagles. Murray was the best back in the league last season behind a nasty offensive line, but he’s consistently been one of the league’s better and more elusive rushers. He regularly picks up chunks of yardage, has plenty of stamina, and has the ability to break off a big gain after pounding out hard yards in between the tackle.

A running back who is even better at all of these things is Adrian Peterson, who could easily suit up for another team, such as the Cowboys, in 2015 due to the friction between him and the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys are seen as the clear front-runners, especially since his “dream scenario” is to play for his “hometown” team, per the Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole.

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The Arizona Cardinals have also been linked to Peterson in some way, but a new potential suitor was named today. Peter King wrote that his “upset special” to acquire Peterson is the Jaguars, though the only explicit reason he gave for naming them as a suitor is their cap space.

That, along with the Jaguars previous interest in Murray and need for a star back, make it a reasonable “upset special”. King is so well-connected that whenever he spitballs something, that remark is sure to make waves, and it’s all for good reason.

However, there’s a reason why he has to call the Jaguars an “upset special”, and that’s because it wouldn’t make much sense for the Jags to acquire Peterson. Sure, they have the cap space but I’m not sure that they would be cool with taking on $12.75 million, $14.75 million, and $16.75 million in salary in each of the next three seasons. AD is a monster, but he isn’t worth nearly that kind of money.

Even if Peterson is interested in reducing that cap hit to facilitate a trade, why would he cut his pay significantly in order to join the Jaguars? I love what the Jags are doing with their rebuilding process, but that’s the thing. Why would a star RB and Hall of Fame talent who is nearing the end of his prime willingly go out of his way to take significantly less money in order to play for a rebuilding team?

The Cardinals and Cowboys both made the playoffs last year and would be likely Super Bowl contenders with a guy like Peterson on the roster, so he could realistically take a lot less money in order to chase a ring or playoff glory with those organizations. But the Jaguars? They would have to pay premium.

OK, so let’s say that they’re actually cool with spending at least $10 million per season on Adrian Peterson. They’ll still have to pay premium in a different way, because they’ll have to trade a high draft pick, whether it’s this year or next year. That pick means a lot more to the Jaguars than it does to the Cowboys or Cardinals, and that statement doesn’t need much explaining; a team thin on talent and looking to get young nucleus can’t afford to trade away potential stars of the future for someone who will likely be a “star of the past” by the end of his current contract in 2018.

Honestly, I don’t see a legitimate reason for the Jacksonville Jaguars acquiring Peterson, because it would go against everything David Caldwell has gone. It’s possible, but it would be one heck of an “upset” indeed, especially since, as Rotoworld notes, the Jaguars weren’t even willing to top the $8 million-per-year deal that Murray signed with the Eagles. That was a wise decision on their part, so why would they make an even more ill-advised decision than signing Murray? Why would a rebuilding team trade a high pick and spend a huge amount of money for one player who won’t take them anywhere in the near future?

Oct 26, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson (16) carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Richard Dole-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t answer that with “Because they have the money.” As the Jaguars understand, you can’t spend money needlessly just because you have it, because all of that money goes away pretty quickly in the future once those stars you drafted start looking at the free agent market in three or four years.

And hey, there will be other free agents next offseason that will catch the Jaguars eyes as potential difference-makers, so they have to keep that in mind before underrating the value of a fat amount of cap space.

While King’s “upset special” is an interesting one to think about, the Jaguars will have plenty of opportunities to snag a talented back in this year’s loaded class. Even if they don’t take an elite RB prospect, there are still plenty of good mid and late-round prospects worth looking into, such as Tevin Coleman or TJ Yeldon.

I’d love to see the latter in a Jaguars jersey if they don’t land Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon, because Yeldon is a reliable rusher who can be a nice lead back for Denard Robinson as a change-of-pace guy.

I wouldn’t discount Toby Gerhart either, so it’s not like the Jags are completely bereft of talent at the running back position; they could easily turn it into a strength if they “hit” on someone like Yeldon or Jay Ajayi in the second or third round (those are the two most ideal picks for Jacksonville, in my book).

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