Pre-draft On January 15, 2007, Peterson declared that he would forego his senior year of college and enter the
2007 NFL draft. Coming into the league, he was known as a tall, upright runner possessing a rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size, and vision, along with a highly aggressive running style. Concerns about his injuries suffered during college were noted by the media and potential NFL teams. which impacted selection position. Prior to the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was compared by professional football
scouts to Eric Dickerson.
Minnesota Vikings 2007 season On April 28, 2007, Peterson was selected by the
Minnesota Vikings in the first round with the seventh overall pick of the
2007 NFL draft. Peterson was the first running back selected and the first of three Oklahoma Sooners to be drafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. At a press conference during the draft, Peterson announced, "My collarbone, I would say it's 90% healed. A lot of teams know that, and I don't see it stopping me from being prepared for the season." Peterson believed he was a player that a franchise could build around. In an interview with
IGN following the NFL Draft, he said, "I'm a player who is coming in with the determination to turn a team around. I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win...and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what I can do next. Things like that can change the whole attitude of an organization. I want to win." He later told the
Star Tribune in an interview, "I want to be the best player to ever play this game." Nearly three months after being drafted, he was signed by the Vikings on July 29, 2007. His contract was worth
$40.5 million over five years, with $17 million guaranteed. Peterson began his outstanding rookie year with high expectations for himself; he announced ambitious goals including being named
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushing for over 1,300 yards during the course of the year. Just 11 weeks into his rookie season with the Vikings, Peterson was well on his way to Dickerson's record and considered one of the elite running backs in the NFL. On September 9, 2007, Peterson ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in his first NFL regular season game against the
Atlanta Falcons. In addition to his rushing yardage, he scored his first professional football touchdown on a 60-yard pass reception from quarterback
Tarvaris Jackson. For his performance in the three games, Peterson received the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month award for both September and October 2007. His breakout game as a professional came on October 14, 2007, against the
Chicago Bears, highlighted by a three-touchdown performance and a then-franchise record of 224 rushing yards on 20 carries. Peterson established additional team records for a rookie during this game, which included the most 100-yard games rushing and the longest touchdown run from scrimmage. He also set an NFL rookie record with 361 all-purpose yards in a single game. His 607 rushing yards through the first five games of the season is second in NFL history to Eric Dickerson. For his performance, he was named the Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Following Peterson's record performance,
Deion Sanders, now an
NFL Network analyst, said about him: "He has the vision of a
Marshall Faulk, the power of an
Earl Campbell, and the speed of an Eric Dickerson. Let's pray he has the endurance of an
Emmitt Smith." He has also been compared to Walter Payton and
Tony Dorsett by
Star Tribune sports journalist Jim Souhan. Three weeks later, on November 4, 2007, Peterson broke his own franchise record as well as the NFL single game rushing yard record (previously held by
Jamal Lewis since 2003) when he rushed for 296 yards on 30 carries and three rushing touchdowns against the
San Diego Chargers in a home game in
Minneapolis. That game was his second game of over 200 rushing yards, a feat no other rookie has ever accomplished in a season. Peterson had a 19-yard reception in the game to give him 315 scrimmage yards in the game. Peterson recorded the third-most scrimmage yards in a single game and the sixth game overall with at least 300 scrimmage yards in NFL history. His historic performance earned him his second Offensive Player of the Week title in his rookie season. In addition to the NFL rushing record in a single game, it took him past 1,000 rushing yards for the year after just eight games. In honor of Peterson's record-breaking performance against the
San Diego Chargers, the jersey he wore that day was sent to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame. On November 11, 2007, just a week later, Peterson injured the
lateral collateral ligament in his right knee in a game against the
Green Bay Packers. The injury occurred in the third quarter of a 34–0 defeat at
Lambeau Field on a low tackle by Packers
cornerback Al Harris. On December 18, he was named as the starting running back for the 2008 NFC Pro Bowl team. On January 2, he was named The
Associated Press NFL Offensive
Rookie of the Year. He was named to the
Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team for the 2007 season. On February 10, 2008, Peterson won the 2008 NFL
Pro Bowl MVP award with 16 carries for 129 rushing yards along with two touchdowns. The 129 rushing yards was the second most in
Pro Bowl history. He was the first rookie since Marshall Faulk in 1994 to win the Pro Bowl MVP award. Peterson and Faulk are currently the only NFL players to win both the NFL Pro Bowl MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same year. Peterson finished in second place in rushing yards (1,341) in the 2007 season behind
LaDainian Tomlinson, who finished with 1,474 rushing yards. He also caught 19 passes for 268 yards and returned 16 kickoffs for 412, giving him 2,021 all-purpose yards (6th in the NFL).
2008 season Peterson and the Vikings entered the 2008 season with high expectations and as he did during his rookie season, Peterson set high goals for himself including a 2,000-yard campaign and the NFL MVP award. Questions remained as to Peterson's durability and the ability of the Vikings offense to take the focus of opposing defenses off Peterson. Peterson had a phenomenal second season. He played in all 16 games, of which he started 15. He recorded ten games going over 100 rushing yards to go along with ten rushing touchdowns across the season. His Week 10 performance against the
Green Bay Packers earned him his third career Offensive Player of the Week nod. Peterson finished
leading the league in rushing with 1,760 yards, which marks the third-most yards in a sophomore season behind
Eric Dickerson's 2,105 yard season, and
Chris Johnson's 2,006-yard season, which occurred the following season in 2009. In Peterson's first 30 games, he had 3,101 yards, which marks the third best start to a career for running backs behind Dickerson with 3,600 yards and
Jim Brown with 3,144 yards. He became the fourth running back to lead the league in yards per game in his first two seasons along with Brown,
Earl Campbell, and Dickerson. In recognition of his 2008 season, he was named the recipient of the
Bert Bell Award. On January 14, 2009, Peterson was named to his second AP
All-Pro team in two years. The Vikings made the playoffs with a 10–6 record. In his playoff debut, Peterson had 83 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in a 26–14 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles in the
Wild Card Round.
2009 season Prior to the start of the 2009 season, analysts on
ESPN and
Scout.com considered Peterson as one of the league's top running backs. However, the arrival of quarterback
Brett Favre, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, coming out of retirement brought both expectation and speculation about Peterson's new role in the offense. Head coach
Brad Childress, however, stated that he wanted to continue leaning on Peterson, giving him a large number of carries. Favre worked well into the offense through the first half of the season, re-establishing Peterson's ability with a passing attack. Peterson had 917 rushing yards through Week 10, while the Vikings had a record of 8–1. Peterson opened the season by rushing for 180 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns against the
Cleveland Browns, setting a new Vikings franchise record for rushing in the season opener. He again broke the hundred-yard barrier in Week 6 against the
Baltimore Ravens, with 143 yards and 22 carries. His next 100-yard effort came against the
Detroit Lions, with 133 yards on 18 carries, and he was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week. Overall, he finished the season with 1,383 rushing yards and a league-high 18 rushing touchdowns to go along with a career-high 43 receptions for 436 receiving yards. In the playoffs, Peterson had 63 rushing yards and a 19-yard reception as Minnesota defeated the
Dallas Cowboys by a score of 34–3 in the
Divisional Round. However, they lost to the eventual
Super Bowl XLIV champion
New Orleans Saints in the
NFC Championship in overtime by a score of 31–28. Peterson rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. Peterson was voted to his third consecutive Pro Bowl on December 29. He was the starting running back for the NFC team. For the second consecutive season, he was named as a first-team All-Pro.
2010 season Peterson opened the 2010 season strongly with 392 yards and three touchdowns through the first three weeks. His Week 3 performance of 160 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against the
Detroit Lions earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 80-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter was tied for the longest rush by any player that season. In Week 6, he went over the 5,000 yard career rushing mark against the
Dallas Cowboys. He tied for the sixth fastest to reach the 5,000-yard plateau. At Week 7, Peterson was second in the league with 684 yards, averaging 114 yards per game, but the Vikings had dropped to a disappointing record of 2–4. By Week 16, Peterson had rushed for 1,267 yards with 12 touchdowns. Peterson, who was infamous for fumbling the ball in previous seasons, had a dramatic change in the 2010 season with only one fumble during the regular season, a remarkable turnaround from his previous performances. While the Vikings missed the playoffs, Peterson represented his team in the
Pro Bowl. After the season, Peterson was voted as the third-ranked player and top overall running back by his fellow players on the
NFL Network's list of the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.
2011 season On September 10, 2011, the Vikings signed Peterson for $96 million over the course of seven seasons, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Peterson reached the 6,000-yard milestone on September 18, 2011, in a loss to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On October 9, Peterson scored three touchdowns in the first quarter against the
Arizona Cardinals, setting a new franchise record. He later earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance during the game. In a Week 10 game against the
Oakland Raiders, Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain late in the first quarter. He was later ruled out for their Week 11 game against the
Atlanta Falcons. On December 24, Peterson was injured by safety
DeJon Gomes and needed help off the field in a Week 16 game against the
Washington Redskins. On December 26, he was placed on
injured reserve having suffered a torn
ACL and
MCL. In the 2011 season, Peterson had 208 carries for 970 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with 18 receptions for 139 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 season: MVP season Peterson started Week 1 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, although his status was listed as questionable. He rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns in his first game in eight months after his ACL and MCL tear. He passed
Robert Smith to most rushing yards in franchise history. On October 21, against the
Arizona Cardinals, he had 153 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 21–14 victory. For the sixth time in his career, he earned Offensive Player of the Week honors. On November 4, against the
Seattle Seahawks, he had 182 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 30–20 loss. He followed that up with 171 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 34–24 victory in the second divisional matchup with the Detroit Lions. On December 2, against the
Green Bay Packers, he had 210 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 23–14 loss. In Week 14, against the
Chicago Bears, he had 154 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to earn another Offensive Player of the Week nod. In Week 15, against the
St. Louis Rams, he had 212 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the 36–22 win. By Week 16, Peterson was leading the NFL in rushing with 1,898 yards and averaging 6.0 yards a carry. In addition, he had 11 touchdowns, along with 215 receiving yards. Entering Week 17, he needed 208 yards to break the NFL single-season record for the most rushing yards (2,105), set in 1984 by Eric Dickerson. That week, the Vikings played the Green Bay Packers needing a win to clinch a playoff berth. The game was tied at 34 in the fourth quarter when Peterson ran for 26 yards, setting the Vikings up for a game-winning field goal with three seconds left. The Vikings chose the field goal, which sent them to the playoffs, but also left Peterson nine yards short of breaking the record. In December, Peterson rushed for a total of 861 yards, the most for a single month in NFL history. As a result, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. Peterson became the second player (Earl Campbell, 1980) to rush for 150 or more yards in seven games during an NFL season and had 1,019 yards after contact. He finished the 2012 season with 348 carries for 2,097 rushing yards, the second-most ever for a
running back in a single season. Peterson became only the seventh player in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards. The
Vikings improved from 3–13 in 2011 to 10–6, qualifying as the NFC's sixth seed in the playoffs. In the
Wild Card Round, with Vikings' starting quarterback
Christian Ponder unable to start due to injury, the Vikings fell to the
Green Bay Packers in a rematch by a score of 24–10. The team's record, alongside Peterson's historic season, earned him the
NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the
NFL Most Valuable Player awards. In addition, he earned the Bert Bell Award for the second time in his career. He was named to his fifth career Pro Bowl and was named as a first-team All-Pro for the third time. After the completion of the season, Peterson underwent surgery for a sports hernia. It became known that Peterson played through this injury starting in the last quarter of the season. He was ranked as the best player in the NFL amongst his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2013. As of 2024, Peterson remains as the most recent non-quarterback player in the league to win the NFL MVP award.
2013 season Peterson opened his 2013 season by taking his first carry of the year 78 yards for a touchdown. He finished the game with 18 carries for 93 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 34–24 loss to the
Detroit Lions. Peterson struggled in the first three games of the season without All-Pro fullback
Jerome Felton, but upon his return in Week 4, Peterson rushed for 140 yards against the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On October 10, Peterson missed practice for a "personal reason" and it was later revealed that his son was in critical condition. Peterson's son later died due to injuries suffered from an assault, apparently by the mother's live-in boyfriend. The child was two years old. Despite the loss and time spent answering relentless media inquiries, he played against the
Carolina Panthers. The Panthers defeated the Vikings by a score of 35–10. On November 3, against the
Dallas Cowboys, he had 140 rushing yards and a touchdown. On November 24, in a 26–26 tie with the Green Bay Packers, he had 146 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. On December 1, against the
Chicago Bears, he had 35 carries for 211 rushing yards in the 23–20 victory. Against the Bears, Peterson reached 10,000 career rushing yards. He became the third fastest player to reach the milestone. Peterson turned in the fifth highest rushing yardage total for the season with 1,266 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 14 games. He was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl as a result of his successful season. He was ranked fourth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 for his fourth consecutive finish in the top ten in the players' ranking.
2014 season Peterson opened the 2014 season rushing for 75 yards on 21 carries in a 34–6 road victory over the
St. Louis Rams. Five days later, on September 12, 2014, Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges and subsequently deactivated for Minnesota's Week 2 game against the
New England Patriots. Amid the child abuse allegations, on September 15, the Vikings reinstated Peterson and he was scheduled to play against the
New Orleans Saints. However, on September 17, Peterson was placed on the NFL's Exempt/Commissioner's Permission list, a similar transaction to the Restricted List, which required that Peterson was to "remain away from all team activities". After accepting a plea deal in early November, Peterson planned to return as early as Week 11. On November 18, the NFL announced that Peterson would be suspended for the remainder of the 2014 season without pay. In December, his league appeal was upheld, and Peterson was scheduled for a federal court appeal hearing on February 6, 2015. Despite his tumultuous season, he was ranked 62nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2015, dropping 58 spots from the previous season.
2015 season On February 26, 2015, Peterson was reinstated to the league after
United States district judge David Doty ruled in the NFL Players Association's lawsuit against the NFL on Peterson's behalf. Peterson returned to the Vikings on June 2. Peterson struggled in his first game back, taking the ball ten times for 31 yards in a 20–3 loss to the
San Francisco 49ers. He bounced to form in Week 2, picking up 134 yards on 29 carries against the
Detroit Lions (the eighth 100+ yard rushing game against the Lions in his career). The Vikings rushed out to an 8–3 start, with Peterson averaging 106 rushing yards per game and breaking eight touchdowns. The period was highlighted with the game against the
Oakland Raiders on November 15, in which Peterson rushed 26 times for 203 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run. This was his sixth career 200+ yard rushing game, tying with O. J. Simpson for the most in history. Two weeks later, against the
Atlanta Falcons, he had 158 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 20–10 victory. For the second time in his career, he earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month. Peterson struggled more down the stretch, eclipsing 100 yards only once in the final five regular season games and one playoff game. In the first quarter of a narrow 23–20 loss on the road against the
Arizona Cardinals in Week 14, Peterson scored his 100th career touchdown. Week 17 saw the Vikings defeat the
Green Bay Packers for the
NFC North Division Championship. In the game, Peterson recovered a
Teddy Bridgewater fumble late in regulation to help preserve the 20–13 victory. Peterson was just the third player in history over the age of 30 to lead the NFL in single-season rushing yards. He finished with a league-high 327 carries for 1,485 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned this third career rushing title, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat three times since Barry Sanders. He was named as a first-team All-Pro for the fourth time and was chosen for his seventh career Pro Bowl. He was ranked as the best running back and the fifth best player on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 players' list. In the
Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the
Seattle Seahawks, he had 45 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards, and a fumble in the narrow 10–9 home loss.
2016 season Peterson started the 2016 season quietly with only 31 rushing yards on 19 carries in a 25–16 win over the
Tennessee Titans. With the Vikings playing the first ever regular season game at
U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 2 against the
Green Bay Packers on
Sunday Night Football, Peterson rushed for 19 yards until leaving the game with an apparent right knee injury. The next day, it was revealed that the right knee had a
torn meniscus. On September 22, Peterson underwent successful surgery to repair the meniscus. It was also revealed that the knee had a mild
LCL sprain, but it did not need surgery. He was placed on injured reserve on September 23, 2016. On December 17, the Vikings activated Peterson to the active roster. He returned to action in Week 15 against the
Indianapolis Colts. Despite only playing three games, Peterson was still ranked 98th by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. On February 28, 2017, the Vikings announced that they would not exercise Peterson's 2017 option on his contract, making him a free agent at the start of the 2017 league year. Had the Vikings exercised the option, they would have had to pay him $18 million for the 2017 season. Peterson's tenure with the Vikings ended with him leading the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during that time period from the 2007 season to the 2016 season.
New Orleans Saints On April 25, 2017, Peterson signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the
New Orleans Saints, which included a $2.5 million signing bonus. Peterson played his first game with the Saints on September 11, 2017, against his former team, the
Minnesota Vikings. He was limited to only 18 rushing yards on six carries as the Saints lost by a score of 29–19 on
Monday Night Football. In the same game,
Vikings rookie
Dalvin Cook broke the team record for rushing yards on rookie debut, a record previously held by Peterson himself. In four games with the Saints, of which he started one, Peterson rushed for 81 total yards on 27 carries.
Arizona Cardinals On October 10, 2017, Peterson was traded to the
Arizona Cardinals for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. He played his first game with the Cardinals on October 15, in which he rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–33 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time since Week 14 of the 2012 season. During Week 9 against the
San Francisco 49ers, Peterson posted another impressive performance with a career-high 37 carries for 159 rushing yards as the Cardinals won 20–10. He was sidelined for Weeks 13 and 14 due to a neck injury, and was subsequently placed on injured reserve on December 15, 2017. Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with 529 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 11 receptions, and 70 receiving yards. On March 13, 2018, Peterson was released.
Washington Redskins 2018 season Peterson signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with the
Washington Redskins on August 20, 2018. He was signed following a number of preseason injuries to their running backs. In Washington's regular-season opener at the
Arizona Cardinals on September 9, Peterson rushed for 96 yards on 26 carries and caught two passes for another 70 yards. This moved Peterson past
Jim Brown to move into tenth on the
career rushing yards list with 12,372 yards. He scored his 100th career rushing touchdown in the 24–6 win over the Cardinals, moving him into a three-way tie for seventh place on the
career rushing touchdowns list. In Week 8, Peterson rushed for 149 yards on 26 carries, including a 64-yard touchdown in a 20–13 win over the
New York Giants, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 13, against the
Philadelphia Eagles on
Monday Night Football, Peterson recorded a career-high 90-yard rushing touchdown in the 28–13 loss. In Week 16, Peterson ran for 119 yards on 26 carries against the
Tennessee Titans, passing the 1,000-yard mark on the season. In the game, Peterson passed Eric Dickerson in eighth place on the
career rushing yards list with 13,318 yards. Peterson became one of five NFL players in history aged 33 or older to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. In addition, he became the oldest player to reach the mark since
John Riggins in 1984. Peterson was held to no yards on four carries in the regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles making his final total 1,042 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the season.
2019 season in 2019 On March 13, 2019, Peterson signed a two-year, $8 million contract to stay with the Washington Redskins. After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Peterson was slated to become the starter following a knee injury to starter
Derrius Guice. He got the start in Week 2 against the
Dallas Cowboys. In the 31–21 loss, Peterson rushed for his 107th career touchdown, which passed Jim Brown for fifth on the all-time rushing touchdown list. In Week 8, against the
Minnesota Vikings, Peterson passed
Jerome Bettis and
LaDainian Tomlinson for sixth all-time on the
career rushing yards list. On December 15, against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Peterson passed
Curtis Martin for fifth all-time in rushing yards, as well as becoming the tenth player in NFL history to reach 3,000 career rushing attempts and tied
Walter Payton for fourth all-time in rushing touchdowns with 110. Peterson finished the season with 211 carries for 898 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns while adding 17 receptions for 142 receiving yards. He recorded two games going over 100 rushing yards. He was the recipient of the
Art Rooney Award. Peterson was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2010s. He was released by the team on September 4, 2020.
Detroit Lions in 2020 On September 6, 2020, Peterson signed a one-year $1.05 million contract with the
Detroit Lions. In his first game for the Lions, he had 114 yards from scrimmage in a 27–23 loss to the
Chicago Bears. In Week 12, against the
Houston Texans, he had two rushing touchdowns in the 41–25 loss. In Week 13 against the Chicago Bears, Peterson had two touchdowns, including the game winner late in the fourth quarter, during the 34–30 win. Overall, Peterson appeared in 16 games and started ten games for the Lions in 2020. Throughout the season, he shared the backfield with
D'Andre Swift and
Kerryon Johnson. He finished with 156 carries for 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Tennessee Titans After an injury to running back
Derrick Henry, the
Tennessee Titans signed Peterson to their practice squad on November 2, 2021. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5, 2021. He recorded his first rushing touchdown as a Titan in his team debut against the
Los Angeles Rams in Week 9. On November 23, 2021, the Titans waived Peterson.
Seattle Seahawks On December 1, 2021, Peterson was signed to the
Seattle Seahawks practice squad. On December 4, 2021, Peterson was activated off the practice squad for the Seahawks' Week 13 game against the
San Francisco 49ers, which the Seahawks won 30–23. Peterson scored a rushing touchdown in that game and tied Jim Brown for tenth on the all-time rushing touchdowns list with 126. Peterson became the first player in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown with six different teams. He was inactive for the remaining five games of the 2021 season, and became a free agent at season's end. Peterson remained unsigned through the entirety of the 2022 season. Prior to the 2023 season, Peterson stated that he had not retired from professional football and stated that he was willing to play for one more season, though he also stated that he would officially retire if he did not play in 2023. ==Career statistics==