Lately, there has been a ton of speculation about the future of star NFL running back Adrian Peterson and the team he is currently under contract with, the Minnesota Vikings. There have been rumors about the Vikings shopping him around, Peterson being unhappy with the team, and even Minnesota receiving an offer from teams like the Arizona Cardinals.
Jul 25, 2014; Mankato, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) laughs with running back Matt Asiata (44) as they leave the field at training camp at Minnesota State University. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
However, the latest news surrounding this roller coaster of a story is from NFL insider Ian Rappaport. According to an article on NFL.com, the Minnesota Vikings have told Adrian Peterson’s agent Ben Dogra that the team is unwilling to cut the star running back.
This shouldn’t really be news for anyone. The Vikings currently are three years into a 6 year, $96 million contract where the Vikings still owe Adrian Peterson $2.4 million dollars. According to Spotrac.com, Peterson still has $45.4 million left to count against the salary cap over the next three seasons, making trading him to another NFL team extremely difficult.
Peterson is still one of the best running backs in the NFL and it seems as though the Minnesota Vikings are willing to honor the contract that currently exists between the two parties. This could all be another smokescreen to raise the value of the star running back to increase his trade value, but it still remains to be seen that a team would be willing to offer enough for the rights to Adrian Peterson and still be able to accommodate his high salary cap number.
While working out a trade that involves another highly paid player and a draft pick or a restructure-then-trade scenario is possible, the most likely outcome is that the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson mend their fences and are together for at least the 2015 NFL season.
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