The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson suspended for the season after his child abuse case and in the future a trade or his release could be possible and the Dallas Cowboys could be an option if they let DeMarco Murray leave as a free agent, while the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, NY Giants and San Francisco 49ers could be potential fits.
Peterson is getting up there in age, but with basically a year off and time away from football, he could be ready for a big season next year. The Vikings may end up keeping Peterson, but reports came out earlier in the season that they were ready to move on and the suspension may lead into that. According to ESPN.com reporter Chris Mortensen, the Vikings are prepared to move on from Peterson in the future and a move could come with a trade or his release at some point down the line.
Peterson played in one game this season before being placed on the exempt list and now he has been suspended for at least the rest of this season by the NFL. The league suspended Peterson under the personal conduct policy and now he will have to apply for reinstatement and that can start in April of 2015. Following the suspension, the Vikings released a statement saying that they support the decision the league made about Peterson and that they respect what Roger Goodell ruled about Peterson.
The NY Post now reports that sources have said the team is actually "upset" about what Goodell did and that they were expecting to have Peterson back this season. The report also states that it's unlikely the team will look to trade or release Peterson during the time of his suspension, which could last all the way until the new league year begins in April. The source in the report claimed that the team has not looked at any roster decisions for the 2015 season and they will not make a final decision on Peterson's future until the suspension is over.
The interest for the Cowboys stems from a summer phone call between Peterson and Jerry Jones that was reported on by ESPN. The two spoke about the future and the potential of Peterson playing in his home state of Texas and while that could be a long ways off, it's an option for the Cowboys. That obviously occurred before all the legal issues with Peterson, but there always is a chance Jones tries to make a move.
A trade is obviously tough because of the money involved and now Peterson likely will be stuck in limbo with his suspension for quite some time. The Vikings have Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata for now as his replacements, but there is a chance they sign or draft someone in the offseason. Peterson had hoped to return this season after taking a plea deal in his case, but the NFL felt that he deserved more punishment after he was previously put on paid leave. Peterson expected that to count as "time served", but according to Pro Football Talk, no one at the NFL said that his time on the exempt list would be considered as punishment for what happened.