Adrian Peterson reportedly turned down 'Dancing With The Stars' invite before joining Titans

Adrian Peterson turned down a shot to compete on “Dancing With The Stars” this season — a move that turned out to be a good one for the veteran running back.

Peterson will return to the field with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night in Los Angeles after joining the team this week to help replace an injured Derrick Henry.

The longtime ABC show called Peterson in September to offer him a spot on the new season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and offered him $150,000 for the rehearsal period. He then would have had the opportunity to earn up to $355,000 while competing on the show.

Peterson, though, turned it down — as he thought he had a chance to sign with the Baltimore Ravens after they lost several running backs in the preseason. The Ravens, along with the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins, had “varying levels of interest” in Peterson before the season, per ESPN.

Had he joined the show instead, Peterson would have attempted to become the fifth former NFL player to win "Dancing With The Stars." Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Rashad Jennings and Donald Driver have all taken home the mirrorball trophy in the show's 30-season run.

Peterson, 36, played last season with the Detroit Lions, which marked his fifth team in the league after a long, dominant stretch with the Minnesota Vikings to kick off his career. The former league MVP and three-time league rushing leader ran for 604 yards and seven touchdowns in Detroit. He's currently the NFL's fifth all-time leading rusher, and the only active player inside the top 25.

Henry suffered a foot injury last week and will need surgery, something that is expected to sideline him for most, if not all, of the remainder of the season. Peterson, along with Jeremy Nichols, will attempt to fill his shoes in the meantime.

Though Peterson has only been with the Titans for a matter of days, and is playing longer than most running backs ever do, he's confident he can jump right in.

“I feel good, so they can call my number, I’ll go out there and contribute any way that I can,” Peterson said Friday, via USA Today. “I do a great job of keeping my body in shape physically and mentally and just keeping myself prepared for a moment like this.”

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