Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer are heading to Houston Wednesday to find out where Adrian Peterson‘s head is at (if it’s even possible to determine such a thing). Does Peterson want to return to Minnesota or is the relationship so far gone that nothing can be done to save it?
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Trade speculation has been swirling amid rumors that Peterson is not thrilled about returning to the Vikings. According to reports, Peterson is at least willing to talk contract restructure in order to make a trade happen. In addition, Peterson reportedly has a list of five teams he would welcome a trade to.
And that list of five teams is: Dallas, Arizona, Indianapolis, San Diego and Tampa Bay.
It should be noted that the Indianapolis Colts currently have $41 million of cap space to play with. If Indy wanted to make a trade for Peterson without a contract restructure, they at least have the cap room to do it. Whether they would be willing to take on the other baggage that comes with Peterson is another question. Adding Peterson to Andrew Luck might make them the favorite in the AFC.
Tampa Bay and San Diego both have a decent amount of cap space as well but not nearly as much as Indy. Dallas and Arizona are both somewhat cap challenged so making a trade with either of those teams would be difficult even with a reduced salary for Peterson.
And then there’s the question of compensation for the Vikings. How much is enough to make the Vikings feel good about trading away a player who has not only been the face of the franchise for nearly a decade but is arguably still among the league’s most ferocious offensive forces?
The Vikings may want to trade Peterson, but that doesn’t mean they’re willing to take a bath on the deal. If no trade can be made and Peterson is not willing to talk contract restructure without a trade being in the deal, the Vikings may have no choice but to keep him for his full salary. And ultimately that might be the best move as the franchise attempts to build on the small measure of success they enjoyed last year with Teddy Bridgewater taking over the quarterback position.
If all it takes to make Peterson happy is money, then give him the money and reap the rewards on the field.
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