Adrian Peterson is a legendary running back with a bank account to match.
According to Spotrac, Peterson is slated to make $1.015 million with the Washington Redskins. Should that happen, he will have made $30 million more over the course of his career than the next highest-paid running back.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Todd Gurley's mega-deal is done. Le'Veon Bell is slated to cash in soon, too. Both ball carriers still have a long way to go to crack the top five career earners, let alone enter Peterson's financial stratosphere.
Here are the top five highest-paid running backs in NFL history, according to Spotrac.
Check out their accolades below and how they racked up their historic salary earnings.
1. Adrian Peterson
Years: 2007-present
Career Earnings: $98,208,319
Career accolades: 12,276 career rushing yards, 99 TDs, 4x First-Team All-Pro, 2012 NFL MVP
Peterson got to double-dip; he entered the league when rookie wages were high, then cashed in on his immense success. In 2011, he landed a six-year, $85 million extension. His 10-year span in Minnesota alone paid Peterson over $94 million.
2. Edgerrin James
Years: 1999-2009
Career Earnings: $68,909,750
Career Accolades: 12,246 career rushing yards, 80 TDs, 1x First-Team All-Pro
James received a $9.5M signing bonus straight out of "The U." In Indianapolis, he brought in $32M more. And in 2006, he cashed in again with the Cardinals on a $30M deal. Add it all together and you get the next-best paid RB after Peterson.
3. Reggie Bush
Years: 2006-2016
Career Earnings: $63,196,734
Career Accolades: 5,490 career rushing yards, 36 TDs, Super Bowl XLIV Champion
Bush was paid for what scouts thought he'd become -- the league's next transcendent running back. He entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick, earning $41M over five years in New Orleans. He never lived up to the hype (who could?), but still cashed in on impressive deals later on in Miami and Detroit.
4. Emmitt Smith
Years: 1990-2004
Career Earnings: $61,275,000
Career Accolades: 18,355 career rushing yards, 164 TDs, 4x First-Team All-Pro, 3x Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl XXVIII MVP, 1993 NFL MVP, Hall of Famer
Running backs weren't paid big money when Smith entered the league in 1990. His legendary career might've changed that. By 1997, he had signed a seven-year, $40 million contract en route to becoming the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Plus, he earned a nice two-year parting gift from the Cardinals ($7.5M) to wrap up his career.
5. Frank Gore
Years: 2005-present
Career Earnings: $59,094,625
Career Accolades: 14,026 rushing yards, 77 TDs, 5x Pro Bowler
Gore became the fifth-highest paid RB ever by sheer longevity. His biggest deal was a four-year, $27.5M one in San Francisco back in 2007. He stuck around to earn $46.8M and $12M from the Niners and Colts, respectively. Score one for "The Inconvenient Truth."
