Forgive me for wanting to dabble into a large decision the Oakland Raiders are currently discussing inside the walls of their Alameda facility.
Jack Del Rio’s offense lost running back Latavius Murray in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings early this week. Because of the emergence of DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, it was a financial commitment (three-years, $15 million) many expected the Raiders to stay away from. Right or wrong, they viewed Murray as replaceable.
How the Raiders respond to losing a productive and important player in their dynamic offense will directly impact their win total next season. Derek Carr’s gruesome leg injury was on Christmas Eve. That’s less than three months ago. What’s a rehabbing quarterback’s best friend? A strong running game. GM Reggie McKenzie cannot take this decision lightly, even if he already has one of the top passing attacks in the league.
The two pertinent options on the table right now are Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. Neither are long term solutions at the NFL’s rental car position, but Peterson makes way more sense for 2017 and beyond.
Because of a higher price tag and two of his last three seasons were completely wasted, the 31-year-old Peterson is still on the open market two weeks into the free agency period. In 2015, he rushed for 1,485 yards, 11 touchdowns and the Vikings won the NFC North. A suspension in 2014 and an injury in 2016 left Peterson with 147 rushing yards combined.
The chance of this blowing up in Oakland’s face is real. This would be a high-risk, high-reward signing. The Seahawks chose to sign a 267-pound Eddie Lacy instead of Peterson. There are reasons teams aren’t knocking down his door.
But with a stable front office, coaching staff, franchise quarterback and a 12-4 record from last season, these are the types of chances the Raiders are in a position to make now. The Raiders would have to adjust their offense, something that could potentially pose as speed bumps. Peterson is the type of running back that can need up to 20 carries to get going. His arrival could also stunt the growth of Washington and Richard. They both would still have roles, but developing talent would take a backseat to feeding the beast that is Adrian Peterson.
There’s a reason No. 28 is a surefire future Hall of Famer: He can break NFL defenses. There are plenty of reasons to believe he’s not washed up and that if he does turn in another 1,400-yard season, he could be the reason Del Rio, Carr and company start winning games in the playoffs.
By the way, the Raiders are in the AFC. They almost out of necessity have to make a big move to counter what the Patriots have done this offseason. New England acquired numerous pieces of the puzzle — wide receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive end Kony Elay, tight end Dwayne Allen. Bil Belichick are reloading for a few final chapters, and in this arms race, the Raiders must make their own attempts at upgrading the roster.
Oh, and what about Lynch? No matter how beloved he is in the East Bay, the Raiders shouldn’t plan on him being a leading workhorse to take pressure off of Carr in the passing game. Lynch walked away from the game after the 2015 season because many thought he had lost his passion for football. His film from that final season also showed a player whose career was on the decline. The same case can be made for Peterson, but his absence away from football was not because he chose to. Lynch might end up having a productive year or two left in the tank, but to me, he’s a riskier proposition with less of a bang-for-your-buck reward than AP.
McKenzie has earned the benefit of the doubt. Many of his previous free agent signings have panned out, helping the Raiders ascend the ranks as a contending NFL team. He very well could be targeting Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffery later in the first round of next month’s draft.
But there’s a chance Peterson cashes in on a change of scenery to reignite his NFL career. There’s a chance he gets hurt or ends up not being worth the pretty penny he’s asking for. He’s a little high maintenance and he’ll need his fair share of touches. The Raiders already have two solid options in the backfield.
The risk and the money are worth the potential reward.
