Adrian Peterson was one of eight unanimous selections for the 2010s All-Decade Team, the NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Monday. He joins all-time great running backs such as Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton, all of whom have received the honor in past decades.
Along with Peterson, Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy were voted as the best running backs of the 2010s. Peterson, 35, is the second-oldest active running back in the NFL behind Gore and is entering his 14th season.
From 2009-19, Peterson had six seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards, five Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro selections. He averaged at least four yards per carry in eight seasons and had a total of 89 rushing touchdowns during that stretch.
In 2012, he became just the seventh player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season after coming back from a torn ACL he suffered in December of 2011. His 2,097 rushing yards are the second-most in a single season. The current leader is Eric Dickerson, who rushed for 2,105 yards with the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
Peterson leads the All-Decade team with 11,115 rushing yards from 2009-19. The next-highest rushing total belongs to McCoy, who had 11,071 yards. He is followed by Gore with 10,906 and Lynch with 8,262 yards. Peterson is fifth on the list of all-time rushing leaders behind Sanders, Gore, Payton and Smith.
Of the 52 players selected, only eight were unanimous: Peterson, quarterback Tom Brady, tackle Joe Thomas, guard Marshal Yanda, defensive end J.J. Watt, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, linebacker Von Miller and kicker Justin Tucker.
Peterson signed with the Redskins in 2018 after Derrius Guice was placed on Injured Reserve with a torn ACL. He immediately became the featured back and eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time since 2015. Peterson, 33 at the time, became the oldest player to rush for 1,000 yards since John Riggins accomplished the feat at 35 years old in 1984.
The following season, despite sharing a backfield with Guice for three games and being inactive for one, Peterson still managed with rush for 898 yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The Redskins recently exercised their club option on Peterson's contract, ensuring that he will be in Washington for the 2020 season.
