Mention the possibility of the Vikings trading Adrian Peterson to the Dallas Cowboys and the first thing you’ll hear is that the Cowboys don’t have the cap space to make it happen.
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But what if the Cowboys cleared a bunch of cap space by having a current star player rework his deal, allowing the team to then acquire Peterson?
It just so happens that there’s a well-paid member of the Cowboys who says he would be willing to restructure his deal if it would help the team bring in a needed player. Tony Romo told Mike and Mike this morning that he will do anything it takes to help Dallas get over the hump, including give up money:
Tony Romo on @MikeAndMike said he's told Jerry Jones in the past that he would take a pay cut if it was needed: pic.twitter.com/gGveNswMjM
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 1, 2015
Romo is set to count a whopping $27.7 million against the Cowboys’ cap this year. Earlier this year, Spotrac offered up a scenario where the Cowboys could convert some of Romo’s $17 million base salary for 2015 into guaranteed money, thereby saving themselves $12 million against the cap.
Given Romo’s stated willingness to renegotiate, and Peterson’s own reported willingness to do the same, the idea of the Vikings trading Adrian to Dallas suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
Of course there are more issues in play than just the money. Even if a trade might be feasible, the Vikings reportedly are dead-set against giving in to Peterson and sending him to the Cowboys, his preferred destination.
It’s understandable that the Vikings would balk at giving Peterson his way, considering the way Peterson has behaved going all the way back to last year when he reportedly called Jerry Jones saying he wanted to play for Dallas, but their attitude could change if the Cowboys offered a sweet enough deal.
The Vikings might prefer not sending Peterson to Dallas, but if they could get back a first round pick or two, I have no doubt that Rick Spielman would hold his nose and pull the trigger.
At this point, the biggest obstacle to a Peterson trade might be Dallas’ unwillingness to cough up enough picks in return. The money really isn’t an issue, even though people keep bringing it up as an issue.
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