The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson could be headed for a split in 2015 through a trade or the release of the running back and this comes as he will have to apply for reinstatement with the NFL and if that happens, teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks could be interested along with DeMarco Murray.
Murray is heading towards free agency and if he leaves the Cowboys, it could open things up for Peterson if he is released by the Vikings. A trade for Peterson would be very difficult for most teams, as he has a high cap number and could be hard to move. According to ESPN.com, head coach Mike Zimmer said that Peterson would be welcome back to the Vikings once he is reinstated, but that will not be taken care of until April at the earliest.
Earlier in the season when Peterson was still facing charges in his child abuse case, Chris Mortensen at ESPN.com wrote that sources within the Vikings organization were ready to move on from Peterson. The report came before Peterson reached a plea agreement with the court and things now could be different within the organization. Peterson appealed the decision of his suspension to the NFL, but it was upheld and now he will be out until April at the earliest.
Peterson spoke about his future after the suspension with USA Today in an interview and he said that it might be best for him and the Vikings to get a "fresh start." Peterson is one of the best backs in football, but he is getting towards the age of 30 and that is when most running backs start to break down. While Peterson is obviously not most running backs and he would be a hot commodity if he ends up on the market.
Jerry Jones has previously expressed his interest in Peterson and if he is released, he could be an option. Murray is likely returning, but with the Cowboys also having to deal with a contract for Dez Bryant, there is a chance he could end up elsewhere, opening things for Peterson.
Peterson is one of the most productive running backs in football and despite his age he has been one of the best over recent years. Peterson has had at least 1200 yards every season in his career minus his injury season and last season, including in 2012 when he had over 2000 yards. Peterson had just 75 yards this season and that came after he had 1266 yards last year. Peterson has had at least 10 touchdowns in each of his first seven seasons and now moving forward he could be an option for teams like the Patriots, Raiders or Dolphins.
Even before Peterson dealt with his legal issues many speculated that he could be traded or released over the last two years. Mike Freeman at Bleacher Report wrote about the potential of Peterson getting cut before the draft last year, while local writers speculated during the 2013 season that Peterson could get traded. Obviously none of that happened, but now that Peterson has had a year off basically and is getting close to the age of 30, it could be time for the Vikings to make a move.