The Minnesota Vikings may look at an Adrian Peterson trade this offseason and while a move is appearing unlikely, teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams could be potential landing spots.
Peterson's future has been in question since last season when he was placed on the exempt list while dealing with his child abuse case. According to ESPN.com, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says that the team has no plans to trade Peterson at this time and that he expects the running back to be in Minnesota next season. Pro Football Talk reported earlier in the offseason that the most likely landing spots for Peterson would be the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
Peterson reportedly is still debating whether or not he wants to return to Minnesota, as sources reported to ESPN earlier in the offseason that he was not happy with how he was placed on the exempt list last year. Peterson reportedly wanted to play through his legal case while dealing with it in Texas, but the team and the NFL agreed to move him onto the commissioners exempt list. Peterson has not officially been reinstated to the league yet, but Roger Goodell reportedly will look at the situation in mid-April.
Peterson's agent said it may not be in the best interest of his client to remain in Minnesota, but so far the team has said they will not release him. The two sides could be digging in for a battle about a trade or Peterson's contract, but at this rate there is a chance he could return to Minnesota. The team has the leverage for now, as Peterson is under contract for three more year at over $40 million, including over $12 million this season. Peterson has a $15 million cap hit for this season and that is the highest among running backs in the league.
The Cowboys remain an option for Peterson, but they have a tight cap situation and it will take some maneuvering if the team wants to trade for him. Peter King reported that the Cardinals also were interested in a deal for a draft pick, but the team does not want to take on the major money that Peterson has attached to him. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Peterson's player rep has met with the team, but so far there has been no official word on what Peterson will do in 2015.
One benefit for the Vikings is that they do not owe Peterson any money until the start of the season and that keeps the team from dealing with any deadlines. Peterson may fight with the Vikings about his contract if they want him to take a pay cut, but right now it looks like they just want him to return for 2015. Peterson remains one of the top backs in the league, but he is now 30 and his production could slow down. Last season he played in one game and that could keep him from breaking down as quickly, as he rushed for 1266 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2013 while playing in 14 games.