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Vikings Have Tough Decisions To Make Regarding Adrian Peterson

By Adam Carlson

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The handling of the Adrian Peterson situation has been an absolute mess.  The star running back remains on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list despite having concluded his legal issues.  In addition the NFL has handed down a suspension of “at least” the remainder of the football season.

There’s no way of knowing how long “at least” will turn into or how long Roger Goodell and the NFL will unrightfully hold Adrian Peterson on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission List.  Because of this, the Minnesota Vikings are put in a situation where are left trying to figure out what is best for the future of the franchise.

Oct 8, 2014; Conroe, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leaves the Montgomery county courthouse after his arraignment. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

When Adrian Peterson is on the field, there’s no question that he’s a game changer.  Despite the negative light that has been cast on Peterson due to the incident with his son, the Vikings are still an NFL team that has to do what is best for their squad in the long run.  However, there is currently no way of knowing how long Adrian’s suspension will last or when he will be removed from that list of Roger Goodell’s.

In the meantime, the Vikings have to decide what to do with Adrian Peterson.  The salary remaining on his contract is something that the team can’t afford to continue paying next season if Adrian Peterson’s suspension ends but he somehow remains on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission List.  Peterson is due to make an average of $15.8 million per year over the final three years of his deal with the Vikings, having only $2.4 million of that money guaranteed.

The New York Post’s Bart Hubbach went on Twitter to talk about the the short term future of the Minnesota Vikings running back.  Here’s what he had to say:

While I absolutely hate anything that only uses the word “source” to explain where the information comes from, this should be accurate information.  The Vikings have no reason to cut or release Adrian Peterson since his suspension for the remainder of the season is a non-paid suspension.

For the remainder of this season, expect Adrian Peterson to stay with the team.  He’ll stay in limbo until the offseason, when the Minnesota Vikings organization will be forced to make a tough decision regarding the future of their once franchise player.

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