The Arizona Cardinals are coming into the offseason after making the playoffs in 2014 and the focus in free agency likely will be at running back, as the team was one of the worst rushing teams in football and if Carson Palmer is back healthy they could contend in the NFC and that makes an Adrian Peterson trade, CJ Spiller, Ryan Mathews, Darren McFadden and DeAngelo Williams potential targets.
The Cardinals looked like they had the chance to win the NFC West before dealing with serious injuries and heading into 2015 they expect to contend for the division again. Bruce Arians won coach of the year and signed an extension along with GM Steve Keim and that means the two can build their team without worrying about job security for the foreseeable future. The Cardinals reworked their deal with Larry Fitzgerald to free up cap space
The team opted not to bring back Darnell Dockett and that will give them some extra space to work with on the cap. According to CBS Sports, the Arizona Cardinals are one team that Adrian Peterson would consider playing for if he is traded or released from the Vikings, as he wants to play for a team in contention for the playoffs. According to Pro Football Talk, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman met with Peterson this past week about his future and it comes after the team has been open about wanting him to return.
Peterson's future has been up in the air since his suspension was overturned on appeal and now it is likely he will have his status changed once the league year begins. Once Peterson is activated the Vikings will have some major decisions to make and while they have been open about him returning, the team may want him to take a pay cut. According to Yahoo Sports, Peterson has "concerns" about going back to the Vikings after the way he was placed on the exempt list earlier in the season and he may refuse a pay cut if asked. Peterson is a $15 million cap hit for the Vikings on his $12.75 million salary and whether he stays or goes may depend on money.
Yahoo reported last week that Peterson would be willing to "redo his contract" in a trade to certain teams and the Cardinals were listed as one of them. Charles Robinson at Yahoo writes that Peterson's "preferred teams" include the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers. The report says Peterson would be willing to restructure to go to one of those teams and that could make the Cardinals an interesting option.
The team ranked 31st in the league in rushing last season and while Andre Ellington has a ton of potential, he had a nagging foot injury all through 2014. Adding Peterson could be huge for the offense, as it would give the Cardinals a more consistent rushing attack and that will help Carson Palmer as he returns from a knee injury. The Vikings likely would rather trade Peterson then release him so they receive some compensation, but there is a chance he gets cut over returning to the team on a pay cut.