GGOATRANK
🇺🇸
American Football · Running back · United States

Adrian Peterson

2007–2021 · 2,097 rushing yards in 2012, nine months after a knee reconstruction.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
80.7
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 75.5
MVP awards
1
Rushing yards
14,918
Rushing titles
3
Pro Bowls
7
Offensive Player of the Year
1
Rushing touchdowns
120

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
92
Longevity
84
Honours
80
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
20071341
20081760
20091383
20101298
2011970
20122097
20131266
201475
20151485
201672
2017529
20181042
2019898
2020604

Data sources

  • NFL
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Olympics.com

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Adrian Peterson ranks #28 in American Football

Adrian Peterson ranks 28th among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 551st of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 85.5 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 92, Longevity 84, Honours 80, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 378 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 2007–2021 with 14 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2012, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes mvp awards 1, rushing yards 14918, rushing titles 3, pro bowls 7.

Immediately ahead sits Joe Greene on 86.1, a gap of 0.6 points. Directly behind is Anthony Muñoz on 84.8. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Adrian Peterson GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Peterson stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2012. Scored 92/100.
Longevity84/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 14 recorded seasons. Scored 84/100.
Honours80/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 80/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

Adrian Peterson — frequently asked

Is Adrian Peterson the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Adrian Peterson ranks 28th in American Football with a GOAT Score of 85.5, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is Adrian Peterson's GOAT Score?
85.5 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 84 (20%), Honours 80 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Adrian Peterson rank all time?
551st of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 28th within American Football.
Adrian Peterson vs Joe Greene: who ranks higher?
Joe Greene, on 86.1 against Adrian Peterson's 85.5 — a margin of 0.6 points.
Compare with Brady