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Kyle Rudolph is just glad he plays offense now that Adrian Peterson is officially a member of the New Orleans Saints.
"So I don't have to tackle him," Rudolph said Tuesday as Vikings players continued voluntary offseason workouts. "If Adrian and I are on the field at the same time, there's a big problem."
Peterson signed a two-year deal with the Saints on Tuesday, meaning his first game in a non-Vikings uniform will be against the Vikings — on national television. The Saints open the season at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football.
"It's going to be weird, first of all, seeing him in a different colored jersey and different logo," cornerback Xavier Rhodes said. "It's also going to be weird [him] playing against us on our home field. But we have to do what we have to do. If he gets the ball, we have to tackle him."
That's not something Vikings defenders were allowed to do during Peterson's 10 seasons in Minnesota. The former seventh-overall pick and future Hall of Famer was nearly untouchable in practice as the Vikings tried to keep their franchise player healthy.
Former Packers defender Datone Jones, who signed with the Vikings this offseason, is one of a few current Vikings to have actually taken down one of the NFL's former Most Valuable Players.
"His patience, being able to stop and start and being able to hit any gap once he stopped and started," Jones said. "He reminded me of a guy like Ezekiel Elliott. Really good vision, fast. Not one guy could bring him down."
Defensive end Everson Griffen, who said "it's going to be fun to be able to hit him," added there's something fishy about the NFL schedule, released last week, sending the Saints to Minnesota just before Peterson signed in New Orleans.
