Adrian Peterson missed 15 games in 2014 after he was placed on the commissioner's exempt list as he was going through legal issues. Despite missing nearly an entire season, the Minnesota Vikings running back still believes he can break Emmitt Smith's career rushing record of 18,355 yards.
"I don't think it's impossible," Peterson said to the Pioneer Press. "A lot of things are still to come. ... I look at things that anything is possible. He played 15 years. I'm going into year nine but I've only got eight on the body. That's a long-term goal (to break the record)."
"I think I can play (past Smith's retirement age of 35)," Peterson said. "I'm blessed with tremendous talent and recovery and everything, so I feel like I'll be able to play as long as I want. ... I want to play seven more (years). Eight. I really feel that I can be 38 out there and still be the best running back in the NFL."
Peterson currently has 10,190 yards. If we do the math, Peterson is 8,166 yards behind Smith. If he does play until he is 38, Peterson will have to average just over 1,000 yards per season.
That's not going to be easy as Peterson continues to age. When running backs hit the 30-year-old barrier, which Peterson is right now, they start to break down.
If anyone is going to play until they're 38 and still dominate the game, it's Peterson. This is the same guy that tore his ACL and came back the following season to rush for over 2,000 yards. I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility that he will break Smith's record.
