The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson could be headed for a split through a trade this offseason and if that happens, the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins are possible destinations, with Arizona being the most likely after his agent announced that the Vikings would not be releasing the running back in 2015.
Peterson's future remains up in the air and until his agent made that declaration, it was still uncertain if the Vikings would consider releasing Peterson. According to ESPN.com, Peterson's agent Ben Dogra released a statement saying that the Vikings have "no plans" to release Peterson this offseason, saying that he wanted there to be "no confusion" about the situation. Ben Goessling at ESPN.com wrote that the statement likely was made to help "stoke" trade talks this offseason.
Peterson reportedly is interested in playing for the Arizona Cardinals if he is traded and he also could end up back in Minnesota depending on how things play out. ESPN.com and other news outlets reported last week that Peterson met with the Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf as well as the general manager to speak about his future. Peterson has the highest cap hit of any running back in the league and coming into the offseason many speculated that he could get traded or released. Clearly the release isn't happening, but according to Pro Football Talk, a trade could still be on the table for certain teams.
The Dallas Cowboys were once considered the favorites for Peterson if they lost DeMarco Murray in free agency, but since that happened the team signed Darren McFadden to a free agent deal. While that doesn't mean they still aren't interested in getting Peterson, it's likely they will not pursue that option because of his contract. Todd Archer at ESPN.com writes that McFadden is a low risk, high upside option and that the Cowboys feel comfortable looking at the draft for RBs, as players like Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley and Tevin Coleman are coming out.
Peterson is getting paid $12.75 million base salary this season and he also has a cap hit of $15 million and that could make him tough to trade. Peterson will be 30 when the season starts and while he has been very productive in his career, that is the age that running backs normally start to decline in production. The Arizona Cardinals reportedly were interested in Peterson, but not at that high of a price.
According to Mike Florio at PFT, the team is willing to give up a "high draft pick" for Peterson, but that the $45 million on his contract is an "absolute non-starter". Peterson played in one game last season before being placed on the exempt list while his legal case played out and after that, he was suspended indefinitely by Roger Goodell. The suspension was later overturned on appeal and now he is allowed to work out a trade or a new contract.
Peterson rushed for 1266 yards in 2013 and had 10 touchdowns and in the previous season he had over 2000 yards to set a career high and he scored 12 touchdowns. Peterson likely would be a good fit for the Cardinals offense, as they run a scheme that he has been in and they ranked near the bottom of the league in rushing last season and need a boost at RB.