Adrian Peterson Already Sounds Annoyed With Role In Saints’ Offense

Adrian Peterson seems to be having a hard time adjusting to life in The Big Easy.

Peterson played just nine snaps Monday night in his regular-season debut with the New Orleans Saints, rushing six times for 18 yards in a 29-19 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He also faced questions after the game about a somewhat animated sideline exchange with head coach Sean Payton.

Peterson downplayed the nature of his discussion with Payton, insisting it was “definitely overdramatized.” But the Pro Bowl running back sure sounds a bit frustrated with his role in the Saints’ offense, at least in Week 1. Fellow running backs Alvin Kamara (31 snaps) and Mark Ingram (26 snaps) saw far more playing time.

“I didn’t sign up for nine snaps, though, but unfortunately that’s the way the game played out,” Peterson said, via The New Orleans Advocate. “In my mind, personally, I knew it was gonna take some adjusting. You know, me and Mark played in the last preseason game, AK didn’t even play that game. So with all three of us being out there, I knew it would take a game or so to kind of get adjusted.”

Peterson, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a four-time First-Team All-Pro, is used to seeing a ton of action, having spent his first 10 NFL seasons as Minnesota’s bell cow. Things obviously are different in New Orleans, though, whether Peterson likes it or not.