At age 35, with 13 seasons under his belt and 117 total touchdowns to his name, it may be hard to see what still motivates Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson. He’s already a shoo-in to make the Hall of Fame, and his trophy case is filled with accolades and accomplishments.
So as he heads into his 14th year in the NFL, looking to make a run with the re-vamped Redskins, what is it that pushes AP as much as anything? He wants to see his name continue to rise among the games greatest.
“Passing Barry Sanders would definitely be one of the highlights of my career,” Peterson said on NFL Network, via ProFootballTalk. “What he accomplished, and how I’ve looked up to him, I’ve always wanted to say I did something better than Barry Sanders.”
When it comes to career leaders in rushing yards, the list currently shakes out like this:
- Emmit Smith: 18,355
- Walter Payton: 16,726
- Frank Gore: 15,347
- Barry Sanders: 15,269
- Adrian Peterson: 14,216
Do the math, and you’ll see that AP needs 1,054 yards to pass Sanders on that list and move into fourth all time in NFL history. It may seem like a big feat for Peterson to tackle in one season, but considering that he’s had 1,042 and 898 yards, respectively, in the past two years with the Redskins, it’s not out of the question.
It may not happen this season, but it’s hard to think that AP won’t at some point move up that list even further as his career continues. From what we’ve seen over the past couple of years, he has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
