NFL Trade Rumors: Buccaneers Would Swap Doug Martin for Adrian Peterson?

It’s been too long since I passed on a seemingly ridiculous Adrian Peterson trade rumor. Let’s remedy that right now shall we?

More from Vikings Rumors

• Vikings Rumors: Minnesota was trying to trade Kirk Cousins at the Combine
• Vikings odds to trade for Lamar Jackson are soaring
• Vikings Rumors: Former Chiefs receiver is on Minnesota’s radar
• Vikings Rumors: Trade calls about Danielle Hunter have been made
• Vikings Rumors: Minnesota looking to shakeup their running back room

This one comes to us via the well-known and quite reputable Buccaneers website Pewter Report. It’s not something the site is really trumpeting that hard so file it under “goofy thing they heard that may or may not have credence.”

From a Vikings fan point-of-view, this rumor looks and sounds dumb. If you’re a Buccaneers fan it sounds awesome:

"The Bucs have a mild level of interest in Adrian Peterson the Minnesota Pro Bowl running back. However, the team doesn’t like his salary of $12.75 million this year, and the compensation the Vikings would demand in a trade. The Bucs would be willing to ship running back Doug Martin in a straight up deal with Minnesota if Peterson would agree to take a pay cut, but the Vikings would likely want a steep draft pick compensation that Tampa Bay isn’t willing to deliver."

To which I say:

WELL OF COURSE THE BUCCANEERS WOULD TRADE A BACKUP-LEVEL RUNNING BACK FOR ADRIAN PETERSON IF PETERSON AGREED TO LOWER HIS SALARY. WHO THE HELL WOULDN’T???

If it were as simple as that, Peterson would be gone already. But it’s not as simple as that because Rick Spielman is not stupid.

Spielman is not going to take back Doug Martin or any other average-to-below-average running back in a straight-up trade for Peterson. It’s a good draft pick or nothing for Rick.

I could absolutely see the Buccaneers talking to the Vikings and offering this deal though. If you think maybe Peterson wants out of Minnesota that badly and the Vikings are just trying to dump him, this is exactly the kind of deal you offer.

But the Vikings likely aren’t trying to just dump Peterson so, nice try Bucs. But yeah, you have to take your shot if it’s there. The worst thing Spielman can do is chuckle and hang up.

Next: Mike Priefer Seeking Cullen Loeffler's Replacement

More from The Viking Age

• 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
• Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
• Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
• 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
• Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022