The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson could be headed for a split in the future, as the trade or release of the running back could be an option once he is reinstated following his appeal win and if that happens, the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins could be interested over signing DeMarco Murray as a free agent.
Peterson won a major victory in court after his appeal was granted and his suspension was overturned by a judge. The process now pushes back to the NFL and with Peterson's suspension now flipped, he can be reinstated to the league sooner than expected. Peterson originally could not come back until April, but now he could be eligible to come back when the league year begins and that starts on March 10. According to ESPN.com, the decision was overturned because the judge ruled that the NFL wrongly applied their new conduct policy on Peterson when they should not have.
The decision was fairly simple and showed to many why the NFL has overstepped in the way they handle discipline. Either way, Peterson is now on track to come back and the biggest question will be where he will play in 2015. There have already been numerous rumors about where Peterson could end up, with Pro Football Talk picking up on reports that the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys could be interested in acquiring Peterson.
Things with the Vikings likely will come down to money and earlier in the offseason Peterson was reputedly skeptical of coming back. According to ESPN.com, sources have said that Peterson will "never" play for the Vikings again, as he was not happy with the way the team funneled him to the exempt list after one game this season. Peterson is set to make over $12 million in salary and has a $15 million cap hit and according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Peterson could be asked to take a pay cut.
If Peterson doesn't want to take a pay cut, there is a chance the Vikings could trade or release him. According to the Arizona Republic, the Cardinals may look at Peterson as an option, as the team was ranked second to last in rushing yards per game. The Colts, Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Patriots also could be interested in acquiring Peterson. The Cowboys have been mentioned the most, as Peterson is from Texas and Jerry Jones has expressed his interest in bringing him home.
Peterson has not yet officially been reinstated but so far the Vikings organization has been open about his return. According to ESPN.com, Mike Zimmer said that Peterson is welcome back to the team and that he wants him back for 2015. Zimmer also said that the team is not currently talking to any free agent running backs. The team has Jerick McKinnon on the roster and he likely would take over as the starter if Peterson was let go.
The Miami Dolphins have two of their running backs as free agents and could look at him as a veteran option, while the Raiders also have cap space and could be interested. The Patriots have taken on veteran players like Peterson before and he has always said he wants to win a championship and New England could be a place to do it.