4 of the richest contracts ever given out by the Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson – RB

• Average Salary in 2011: $14.2 million
• Average Salary in 2020: $23.4 million

This past decade hasn’t been very friendly to running backs when it comes to getting paid, especially recently. The Vikings are currently in the middle of negotiations with Dalvin Cook and they are trying to figure out how much they would be comfortable paying the 24-year-old running back.

Well, Minnesota actually has experience when it comes to paying running backs since they decided to give Adrian Peterson a ton of money back in 2011.

After averaging 1,445 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in his first four seasons with the Vikings, the team rewarded Peterson with a lucrative six-year extension worth $85.3 million during the 2011 offseason. His average yearly salary after this extension was higher than any other running back in the NFL at the time and it wasn’t even close.

Since Peterson signed his deal a little more recently, the league’s salary cap has only increased by about 65 percent since then. Still, his average yearly salary amount jumps up to $23.4 million with a 65 percent increase.

Christian McCaffrey just signed what is being viewed as good contract for a running back and his average yearly salary is only around $16 million. The huge difference in this average and Peterson’s adjusted amount just goes to show how lucrative his extension was in 2011.