MJD to Raiders

Maurice Jones-Drew reportedly is headed back to his hometown. (USATSI)

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The free agent running back market has, for the most part, been rather soft for players like Knowshon Moreno, Darren McFadden and Ben Tate -- surprisingly, Vikings backup Toby Gerhart might have made out the best when he signed a $10.5 million deal with the Jaguars -- and though Maurice Jones-Drew has been one of the best running backs in the league for the past half-decade, it's taken him quite a while to search for his next job.

But reportedly, he's found it in Oakland.

According to CSN Bay Area, Jones-Drew has agreed to terms with the Raiders, who also happen to have re-signed McFadden for a one-year deal. ESPN.com reports that Jones-Drew's deal will be for three years.

Jones-Drew, an Oakland native, is expected to undergo a physical Friday, and assuming all goes well, he'll reportedly sign his deal later in the day.

After leading the league with 1,606 rushing yards in 2011, he's had back-to-back rough seasons in Jacksonville. He missed 10 games in 2012 with a foot injury, and last season, while struggling with an ankle injury, he averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry.

Jones-Drew is the 48th-ranked player on the CBSSports.com free agent list, and at the age of 29, you have to wonder how many years he has left in his body that averaged 318 carries from 2009-11 (perhaps it's no coincidence that he hasn't been the same player since).

But Jones-Drew reportedly wanted to sign in the neighborhood of $3 million per year, so you have to figure that at least he has confidence he can continue to be a top-notch contributor.

NFL Hot News

Vikings want to use RB Adrian Peterson in space more often



Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer put forth a plan on Tuesday that could benefit running back Adrian Peterson, his team, and his fantasy owners.Zimmer told reporters that he would like to see Peterson get the ball in open spaces more often so as not to expose him to so many hits at the line of scrimmage as defenders crowd the box to stop him."I'm watching a game the other day and the two safeties just kept creeping closer and closer," Zimmer said. "[Peterson] is getting hit a lot. He's a fantastic runner. If we can get him space, he can do a lot of damage."Peterson underwent groin surgery in January but is expected to be ready for offseason workouts in April.



Notice that Zimmer didn't indicate that he wants the ball in Peterson's hands less, just different ways. The easy takeaway from that kind of statement is the Vikings would like to use Peterson more as a receiver out of the backfield. He has reached 40 receptions a couple of times, but he could surpass that with number ease if Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner get creative.Peterson is entering the final season of his 20s. He's no longer the undisputed No. 1 RB in fantasy drafts, but he is still top five, and Zimmer's intent could give Peterson even extra value in PPR leagues while also increasing the chances that he plays a full 16 games.