Last season, the Arizona Cardinals lost their best player in Week 1 when star running back David Johnson dislocated his wrist, necessitating surgery, and he was knocked out for the entire season. Arizona played the next few weeks with Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington splitting time at the position, but they eventually traded for Adrian Peterson, who had quickly fallen out of favor in New Orleans.
Peterson had a monster debut with Arizona, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns, but he failed to eclipse even 30 rushing yards in three of his other appearances with the team. With Johnson expected to be back healthy for next season and Peterson due a roster bonus later this week, the Cardinals are expected to cut ties with the former star, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter.
Cardinals expected to release RB Adrian Peterson today, per source. Peterson has a $750,000 bonus due on the third day of league year, Friday, so Arizona saves money. But Peterson still could return to Arizona later, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2018
The move saves Arizona around $2.9 million on the 2018 salary cap. Per Spotrac, they'll now have around $22 million in space as the NFL's "legal tampering period" begins Monday afternoon. The Cards are also reportedly considering casting Tyrann Mathieu aside, a move that would add another $4.8 million in space to their total.
Peterson has been alternately injured and ineffective the past two seasons, and will be 33 years old next week. There might be a market for his services as part of a timeshare, whether in Arizona or elsewhere, but it seems unlikely that any team will turn to him to be their lead back.
