The trade deadline came and went without any scuttlebutt regarding a possible trade of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. And for good reason. He continues to be suspended with pay pending the resolution of his current legal issues. Any team trading for him simply would have secured the privilege of paying Peterson $691,117.64 per week to let him not play.
His new team also would have the ability to pay Peterson $12.75 million in 2015, an amount that grossly exceeds the current running back market, especially for a running back who turns 30 on March 21.
But Peterson surely will play football again, somewhere. His looming trial could make it very difficult for the Vikings to bring him back; even if he’s acquitted, testimony regarding aggressive discipline of his four-year-old son will create a troubling picture that will linger among a fan base that already has commenced emotional detachment from a player who had become one of the team’s all-time greats. Besides, that $12.75 million can go a long way toward helping the Vikings at multiple other positions of need as the franchise prepares to open a new stadium.
A fresh start could make sense for both sides, especially if Peterson wants one. It’s unclear what Peterson wants, but he previously has mused about finishing his career in his home state, with the Texans or the Cowboys.
Sure, the Texans and Cowboys currently have Arian Foster and DeMarco Murray, respectively. But this is Adrian Fn. Peterson. The guy who nearly set the single-season rushing record after a torn ACL. The guy who has shown a much higher degree of durability than Foster and Murray. The guy who won’t really be 30 next year because he will have hardly played at 29.
It’s easy to forget about Peterson because he’s not playing and hundreds of other guys are. But Peterson’s career likely isn’t close to being over. If it’s over in Minnesota, who knows where it will continue?
