Unless his appeal is approved, Adrian Peterson will not be returning to the NFL this season. The running back and the NFL Players Association are currently battling the season-long suspension, but for now the running back remains sitting out without pay. So what happens when Peterson is allowed back into the NFL? Will he return to the Vikings or head elsewhere?
According to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, Peterson is expected to return to the team when his suspension is lifted which will come April 15, 2015 unless his appeal is approved. Zimmer told ESPN's Ed Werder that the running back will still be a part of the Vikings organization whenever he is allowed back in.
"I think Adrian wants to be back here," Zimmer said, via ESPN.com. "You have to ask him. I don't know. But I know he does have an awful lot of people here who have supported him, and I don't know who he's speaking of who doesn't. All I know of Adrian is that he's always been great with me, always done what I've asked him to do, and I kind of go by what I see. Throughout the whole season we've known he's been gone and I think players were disappointed with the ruling. It's really about Adrian taking care of himself. Everybody really likes this kid, feels like they hope he comes out of this thing good. So it's more concern for him than anything else."
Peterson's status with the Vikings has been in doubt for over a year considering his high-paying contract. There have been trade rumors circling his name as the Vikings continue to try and rebuild the team's roster. The running back is taking up much-needed salary cap space. Peterson's contract runs through 2018. He is a $15 million cap hit over the next two seasons before being a $17 million cap hit in 2017. Asking a team to trade for that contract is unlikely considering how weak the running back market is. The Vikings would either have to release him or keep him.
If Minnesota intends to retain Peterson for the duration of his contract, that could mean good things for DeMarco Murray. The Dallas Cowboys running back is in a contract season and looking for a nice pay raise while he leads the league this season. Many NFL sources believed the Cowboys would jump on acquiring Peterson and leave Murray out. However, if Peterson is not available, it could mean that Murrya becomes a priority for the Cowboys instead.