Adrian Peterson Says He Is the 'Michael Jordan of Football'

Running backs Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles engaged in some friendly offseason banter over the summer when discussing which one of them was the "LeBron James of football." Now, the Minnesota Vikings superstar is raising the bar by comparing himself to Michael Jordan.

Peterson and Charles were slated to face off this week before the Kansas City Chiefs' most dynamic offensive weapon suffered a season-ending knee injury. Still, the topic was brought back to the forefront, and the ante was raised once again, per Adam Teicher of ESPN.com.

"I'll say I'm the Michael Jordan," Peterson said. "There's always the debate, would LeBron be better than Michael? So I'll say I'm the Michael Jordan of football."

Although the comment was made with respect to Charles, since he won't be able to prove himself in the head-to-head meeting, it's still a bold statement.

Jordan is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, basketball players of all time. His resume is something most athletes can only dream about, and, at least at this stage of his career, Peterson doesn't match up favorably:

Athlete	Seasons	Titles	MVPs	All-Star/Pro Bowl
Peterson	9	0	1	6
Jordan	15	6	5	14

There's no doubt he has been a highly valuable member of the Vikings since being drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2007. That said, it's hard to even put him in the conversation for best player ever, especially in an era led by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

He's a great player, but there's plenty of work left to do before his career ends if he wants his name to end up being held in the same regard as Jordan's.

On a more serious note, Peterson wished Charles well in his recovery and said he'll try reaching out to him next offseason to work out together as the Kansas City star begins his comeback, according to Teicher's report.

For now, Peterson is focused on helping the Vikings beat the Chiefs on Sunday. It's an easier task with Charles out.