To hear that Adrian Peterson, the future Hall of Fame running back, has the Raiders among the teams hes interesting in joining is proof positive to coach Jack Del Rio just how far the franchise has come in his two seasons in charge.

I think its great that were on the list of guys that are premier guys, Del Rio said Thursday from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. He declined to comment specifically about Peterson because hes still technically under contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

The message I get is that players and coaches and people recognize this is a good place to be, Del Rio said. We have turned this thing around. And when I first arrived three years ago, the thought was, Nobody wants to come here. We battled through that and became a place where people wanted to come. Over the past two years, weve been able to attract some nice free agents. Of course, paying them is part of it. But its become a destination where people recognize we do have a good young nucleus and a quarterback and some pieces in place to have a good run, and they want to be a part of it.

Staff writer Cam Inman contributed to this report.

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Adrian Peterson's interest in Raiders a sign of their progress - The Mercury News