New Orleans Saints are still winning Adrian Peterson trade
Despite signing and then trading Adrian Peterson, the New Orleans Saints are undoubtedly the winners of the trade with the Arizona Cardinals.
When the New Orleans Saints signed Adrian Peterson, it seemed like a genius move. That was until the emergence of rookie Alvin Kamara and until Peterson flopped. Trading him to Arizona was the best case scenario, but the Saints are truly reaping all the benefits now. They will get a conditional sixth round pick for Peterson.
A postseason look at the trade proves the Saints did win out. Mark Ingram and Kamara kept the run game alive and became a dynamic duo. The two have since been named to the Pro Bowl and took the Saints from a heavy-passing team to a dual threat.
Even if the Saints would have kept Peterson, he would’ve gone to the bottom of the depth chart because of Kamara. Kamara was wonderful this season and exceeded all expectations we had for him. He’s also a lock for Rookie of the Year, too.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Looking at the Cardinals, they had an incredibly rough season. The team lost Carson Palmer, David Johnson and basically all their starters. A handful of guys on the team went down and they couldn’t recover. Signing Peterson was supposed to help them, but unfortunately, it didn’t.
Peterson ended up flopping in Arizona, too. He had his moments right out of the gate. Overall, however, his effectiveness was questionable at best. Nonetheless, the Cardinals didn’t end up utilizing Peterson, either.
The Saints no doubt won the trade, but that brings up back. The Saints were given a sixth-round pick for Peterson. With an almost complete team, who will they use the pick on? An obvious guess would be a quarterback, one they can develop.
Another possibility would be an O-lineman. This year, in particular, the Saints line couldn’t stay healthy and they dealt with backups. Maybe drafting another lineman like Ryan Ramczyk would yield the same results.
Last but not least, the team could look for someone on defense. The team could look at drafting a safety to compliment Vonn Bell or a defensive end to learn from Cameron Jordan. If their drafting last year was an indication, then there are high hopes for 2018.
Next: Grading each 2017 first-round pick after rookie year
As for Peterson, it’s unclear if the Cardinals will keep him or release him. Basically, the Saints are still winning the trade. Not only did their running game get better, but they also got a draft pick for their trouble.