INDIANAPOLIS _ Adrian Peterson officially is on the Giants' radar.
Now that the Vikings running back is due to become a free agent on March 9, he'll be one of the players the Giants plan to give a once-over before the market opens.
"We'll go take a look at him, we'll evaluate him and get a grade on anyone who is available and we'll make those decisions in terms of what's best for the Giants moving forward," head coach Ben McAdoo said Wednesday at the combine.
That hardly qualifies as interest, but it's at least a step in a process that has been hinted at for several weeks. Peterson has mentioned the Giants as a possible landing spot and tweeted about the team's moves since the end of the season. The Vikings declined to pick up his 2017 option on Tuesday, clearing the way for him to become a free agent.
The Giants certainly could use a veteran running back to help balance the workload with second-year player Paul Perkins. Shane Vereen mostly has been a third-down back for the Giants.
"If it fits, if it's clean," McAdoo said of adding a vet to replace the role filled by Rashad Jennings. "Paul is a guy we have confidence in. He missed all offseason last year because of the rules that are in place with rookies and he came into training camp and really had to catch up in a hurry. Had some success on special teams early and ended up being a nice ball carrier for us and he grew in protection as well. Again, he needs to come back and he needs to get better. He can get better. I know he's working to get better right now."
