Adrian Peterson finds the perfect throwback fit in Tennessee

Calvin Johnson, the NFL's second overall draft pick in 2007, caught his last pass on Jan. 3, 2016, exited the league and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection on Aug. 8, 2021.

He is 36 years and 34 days old.

Adrian Peterson, the seventh overall pick by the Vikings in 2007, had his last carry on Jan. 3, 2021, exited the league involuntarily for eight games and, believe it or not, is back with an AFC power that fits his throwback-era strengths perfectly.

Peterson is 36 years and 228 days old. And his first-ballot enshrinement has now been pushed back another year to the summer of 2026.

It's like the Tennessee Titans have signed a museum piece to fill the giant void caused by Derrick Henry's fractured foot. To replace the best pure running back since Adrian Peterson, the Titans signed, well, the original All-Day.

Peterson joins his sixth NFL team as a practice squad player initially but is expected to be active Sunday night when Tennessee (6-2) faces the Rams (7-1) in prime time. It could be a Super Bowl teaser if Peterson, the 2012 league MVP and three-time rushing champion, can help replace a fellow three-time rushing champion who was in the running for this year's league MVP with a record 219 carries through eight games.

"I'll be ready," Peterson texted USA Today's Josina Anderson.

No one doubts that. Peterson will be in excellent shape, as always. He'll bring power. He won't bring the speed and quickness from his decade with the Vikings, but he won't be too slow to get the job done.

The Titans are one of the few if only teams that could present Peterson with this kind of golden opportunity: A chance to prove he can still play at a high level while filling the only void in his resume — postseason success.

Adrian Peterson career statistics

Tennessee is a running team with great run blockers. Peterson won't have to dance around behind the line of scrimmage.

Tennessee doesn't throw to its running backs. Henry's career-high for receptions is 19, and he was on pace for 40 in 17 games. Peterson's career-high is 43 when he played with Brett Favre in 2009.

Tennessee also knows it can't give Peterson the full workload. That's why they also signed 25-year-old D'Onta Foreman, a 2017 third-round pick who's played with the Texans and Titans last year. They also have younger backs in Jeremy McNichols, Dontrell Hilliard and Mekhi Sargent.

"It feels good to get back into football movement and to sign with a contender," Peterson texted to Anderson. "We have big shoes to fill for Derrick Henry, who I feel was the front runner for MVP, but I'm looking forward to contributing to the running back room and helping the Titans to win the division and to chase the ultimate goal of winning a championship."

As a rusher, Peterson ranks fifth overall in yards (14,820) and fourth touchdowns (118). He needs 450 yards to move ahead of Barry Sanders into fourth place, and six touchdowns to move ahead of Marcus Allen into third place.

His greatness was secured long ago as a 2,000-yard rusher, four-time first-team All-Pro and the last non-quarterback to win league MVP.

But what will the Titans be getting in a 36-year-old Peterson who missed training camp and almost half the season? That will be fascinating to watch unfold, especially if the Titans can win their fifth consecutive game — fourth straight as an underdog — and maintain their hold on the AFC's top seed.

Peterson has made a career out of surprising people.

Fears about his durability dropped him into the Vikings' lap in 2007. He ran for 2,097 yards a year after tearing his ACL. At age 30, he led the league in rushing while helping Mike Zimmer win his first NFC North title.

Between 2018 and last season, Peterson played all but one game while compiling 2,544 yards rushing and a 4.1 average. In 2018 with Washington, he ran for 1,042 yards and a 4.2 average. He averaged 3.9 yards while rushing for 604 yards in Detroit last year.

There's a chance Henry could return for the playoffs, assuming Peterson can help his new mates get there first.

When Calvin Johnson retired, he left with an 0-2 playoff record in nine years with one team, the Lions.

Peterson's postseason record isn't much better at 1-4. His only playoff win came when the Vikings beat the Cowboys 34-3 in a divisional game on Jan. 17, 2010.

Eleven years and five teams later, Peterson is, believe it or not, still going with a team he might actually be able to help go a long way.