Adrian Peterson isn’t retired yet. He’s 38 and wants to play in the NFL this season

Adrian Peterson is looking for a job.

That shouldn’t be too tough, considering he’s one of the NFL’s all-time great running backs.

He might make a great coach at some level of the game. Or maybe an analyst on TV or radio.

Wait, what?

He’s looking for a job as a player?

You mean, he hasn’t retired yet? Even after rushing for a total of only 98 yards in stints with two teams in 2021 and not landing on a roster at all in 2022?

That is correct.

And the 38-year-old Peterson told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he has no intention of officially retiring this year, either. Instead, he’s holding out hope some team will allow him to continue his career just a bit longer.

“Mentally, I haven’t officially hung it up,” he told Hill. “We’ll see what happens. My mind-set is, if God’s willing maybe an opportunity presents itself and maybe it happens this season. … But nothing happens this season, for sure, I will be hanging it up.”

Peterson first led the NFL in rushing in 2008 with 1,760 yards, then in 2012 with 2,097 yards (second all-time to Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 with the Rams in 1984) and again in 2015 with 1,485 yards.

Those seasons were a long time ago. He’s only cleared the 1,000-yard mark once since, when he rushed for 1,042 yards with Washington in 2018.

With 14,918 career rushing yards, Peterson needs 352 more to pass Barry Sanders for fourth place on the all-time list. But even if he makes a roster, it might be tough for Peterson to amass even that many yards, seeing that he hasn’t done so in a season since compiling 604 with the Detroit Lions in 2020.

None of this is to say Peterson shouldn’t pursue his dream. If he still has the itch, he might as well at least attempt to scratch it while he can. Either way, he’s got a sweet gold jacket waiting for him in Canton, Ohio, five years after he actually does decide to retire.