Running back Adrian Peterson isn’t looking to leave the Vikings, but he doesn’t think it would be hard to find another team that wanted him if the Vikings should feel differently.
Peterson said Thursday that he feels the Vikings have “the right pieces” to build around despite their 2-7 record on the season and that he’d like to be part of that process. There have been some suggestions that the Vikings might look into trading Peterson to strip his salary from the cap while also getting draft picks that would bring in an infusion of talent. Peterson knows that’s the team’s call and isn’t sweating the possibility.
“I understand that,” Peterson said, via the Pioneer Press. “I know this is a business and things like that happen. So if it happens, it happens. There’s not much I can’t handle. I’m sure someone will welcome me with open arms if they do decide to trade me. ... But it’s a business, so if they trade me, then, hey.”
There are four years left on Peterson’s deal with salaries that start at $11.75 million next year and rise every year thereafter. That would be a lot for any team to fit under their cap, especially with Peterson turning 30 before the 2015 season gets underway. That contract would also impact the potential return the Vikings would see in a deal, something that would have to be weighed heavily when considering dealing away the face of the franchise.