Recent New York Giants signee Rhett Ellison is already wearing his recruiting hat. Ellison’s target in free agency: former teammate Adrian Peterson.
The New York Giants have made a concerted effort to improve offensive execution. Though the offensive line remains untouched, general manager Jerry Reese has addressed voids at wide receiver and tight end with two multi-year contracts.
Rhett Ellison isn’t nearly as heralded as Brandon Marshall, but it’s he who’s campaigning on the free agency trails.
Ellison was a surprising acquisition due to the cost and length of his contract, as well as the somewhat unknown nature of his game. He’s a quality blocking tight end who can make the move to H-back, however, and he has experience creating lanes for one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
According to Pat Leonard of The New York Daily News, the recently signed Ellison openly petitioned for the man he blocked for in Minnesota, Adrian Peterson, to sign with the Giants.
"“Of course, it’d be great to have him with the Giants,” Ellison said of Peterson, the free agent who turns 32 on March 21. “But he hasn’t told me. He has his own family and has to think about what he has to do. But it was a lot of fun to block for him (in Minnesota).”"
Acquiring Peterson would undoubtedly bolster the running back position from a pure talent perspective.
Peterson is one of the most productive players in NFL history. He’ll enter 2017 with career marks of 11,747 rushing yards and 97 rushing touchdowns, as well as 241 receptions for 1,945 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Peterson will also turn 32 years of age on Mar. 21 and is coming off of a severe injury that cut his 2016 campaign short.
Ellison seems to believe that coming to New York would help Peterson get back to producing in an elite capacity.
It was as recent as 2015 that Peterson was playing at an all-time high level. He ran for 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns on an average of 4.5 yards per carry, and pulled in an additional 30 receptions for 222 yards.
It was the sixth time in his glorious career that he’d accumulated more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and his eighth season with at least 10 rushing touchdowns.
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The question is: could Adrian Peterson actually get back to an elite level at 32 years of age?