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Adrian Peterson’s Hall of Fame NFL career may have just come to an end. On Tuesday, November 23rd, the Tennessee Titans waived the 36-year-old running back, per the NFL transaction report.
Peterson, who was initially signed in early November to help counteract the loss of All-Pro Derrick Henry to a foot injury, spent three games in the Titans backfield mostly splitting time with Jeremy McNichols and D’Onta Foreman. Over that span, he picked up 82 yards on 27 attempts (3.0 yards per carry) and scored one touchdown. His most recent outing was by far his most productive, as he nearly doubled his season output against the Houston Texans, rushing for a team-high 40 yards on nine carries (4.4 yards per carry). While NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo did report Peterson could possibly return to Tennessee at some point down the road, the Titans will fill his spot on the active roster with running back Dontrell Hillard, who racked up 82 yards from scrimmage in Week 11.
While the most notable, the decision to waive Peterson was far from the only move Tennessee made on Tuesday. In fact, they made 13 roster moves in total. Two additions of which were former Giants pass catchers.
Golden Tate & Austin Mack Sign With the Titans
The Titans bolstered their ailing receiving corps by signing veteran Golden Tate and second-year wideout Austin Mack to their practice squad. The signing comes on the heels of fellow receiver Marcus Johnson being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Johnson joins perennial All-Pro Julio Jones, who’s occupied injured reserve with a hamstring injury of his own since Week 10.
Tate, 33, was released by the Giants back in March after two up-and-down campaigns in East Rutherford. The 2014 Pro Bowl selection hasn’t been with an NFL team since his Giants exit. Mack, a former undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, spent the 2020 season as teammates with Tate, appearing in 11 games (one start) with the Giants. He hauled in seven receptions for 91 yards on 192 offensive snaps (28%).
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Tate’s Whirlwind Giants Tenure
One of the premier head-scratching financial decisions GM Dave Gettleman has made at the helm of the franchises, Tate was inked to a four-year, $37.5 million contract in 2019 — despite being 30 years old at the time and declining in production.
His first season with the G-Men was rather solid. After missing four games due to a suspension from a positive PED test, Tate went on to rank second amongst Giants receivers in receptions (49), yards (676) and touchdowns (six). However, things quickly went downhill in 2020.
The veteran quickly fell out of favor under a new coaching staff, ultimately being benched for publicizing his displeasure over his lack of play time. He also missed numerous games due to hamstring and calf injures and was even involved in a postgame fight with Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey stemming from tension involving Tate’s sister. All in all, Tate’s production plummeted, mustering up just 35 receptions, 388 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games — his lowest output since 2011.
Despite his diminishing stock, Tate bolsters an appealing resume with nearly 700 receptions and 8,278 yards receiving over his 10-year career. Prior to the start of the 2021 season, Tate was tied with Buccaneers wideout Antonio Brown for the most yards after catch since 2010 with 4,248.
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