For the third consecutive offseason, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has plans to go under the knife. ESPN's Josina Anderson reported Wednesday night that Peterson soon will have groin surgery in Philadelphia. Dr. William Meyers, who operated on Peterson's sports hernia last season, will perform the surgery.
It's a good time to ask whether the Vikings should think about giving another running back a few of Peterson's carries during the season, though it's questionable whether Toby Gerhart would want to come back for a supporting role when he could have bigger opportunities coming as a free agent this spring.
Peterson, for that matter, isn't one to ask for less work, but he might be getting to an age where both he and the Vikings are better served by an attempt to reduce his mileage somewhat.
Peterson's ticket to a lesser workload could actually come through new offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who became San Diego's coach at a similar point in LaDainian Tomlinson's career. Tomlinson was 28 when Turner took over the Chargers in 2007, and as Turner leaned more on San Diego's passing game, the Chargers dialed back Tomlinson's workload. He carried 315 times in 2007 -- down 33 carries from his 31-touchdown season of 2006 and the second-fewest of his career to that point.
Recovery should take about 4-6 weeks. At 29, Peterson will still enter 2014 redrafts with a 1st round ADP, but his long-term outlook obviously isn't as bright as it once was.
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