Minnesota Vikings decline Adrian Peterson’s 2017 option

For a decade Adrian Peterson has been the focal point of the Minnesota Vikings’ offense. Unless a deal can be reached by March 9th, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

The news is still fresh and settling in. Even though it was a forgone conclusion that the Minnesota Vikings were not going to retain Peterson’s services for the  $18 million option that was included as part of his 2015 contract restructuring, it is just weird to imagine Adrian Peterson in anything but purple. It brings back memories of seeing Randy Moss switch to the silver and black of the Oakland Raiders.

The 2012 NFL MVP, 2015 rushing leader, and man who sits at 16th all-time with 11,747 career rushing yards has expressed a desire to remain a Minnesota Viking but has been recently courting the idea of playing with the New York Giants on Twitter and also mentioned the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as desirable locations to continue his career.

"“Adrian is an important part of the Minnesota Vikings organization.We will continue to have conversations with his representatives and leave our future options open while determining what is best for both parties moving forward.”– Rick Spielman, Vikings general manager"

In reading between the lines it appears that the Vikings’ brass has an idea of how much they are willing to give Peterson. It will come down to if he is willing to work with the amount of money the Vikings are offering.

Peterson also released a statement to ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Tuesday.

"“It’s been a great 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings. They know what I bring to the organization as a player, with my work ethic and dedication. I spoke with Rick Spielman this past weekend. The door is still open to find some common ground. I understand addressing the offensive line is one of their main priorities this offseason. In the meantime, I will explore my other options and see what path God leads me on. My main goal remains the same: to win a Super Bowl championship with a great team, which I also believe we have in Minnesota.”"

Reading between the lines again it’s pretty clear Minnesota approached Peterson with an offer this past weekend that was not sufficient. It is not a stretch to believe that the Vikings won’t overpay to retain a 32-year-old running back who averaged a meager 1.9 yards per rush while playing in only 3 games due to injury last season (and in two of the past 3 seasons, he failed to surpass a total of 40 carries).

In the era of free agency players and teams alike have passed up on the loyalty system, consistently letting go of star players to better the team in the future as opposed to putting all the emphasis on the now.

Minnesota is now entering a window of opportunity with a young core of stud players.

Mortgaging this season to retain the services of Peterson seems like it would have been a respectable premise. But if the Vikings wish to capitalize on their current window of opportunity, the money saved would be better spent to shore up the rest of the team.

Next: Vikings reportedly interested in OL Russell Okung

If a deal is not reached by the start of free agency I can already hear Paul Allen of KFAN say one last time, “And he’s loose!”