An Adrian Peterson trade could go down for the Minnesota Vikings at the NFL draft starting on Thursday and if he is traded, the running back could land with the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but with hours to go until the start of the first round, a deal with the star is looking unlikely.
Peterson comes in after playing in just one game last season and rushed for 75 yards against the St. Louis Rams before being placed on the exempt list. According to Pro Football Talk, a trade is unlikely for Peterson unless the Vikings are "blown away by a deal". The Cowboys are likely out of the mix according to reports, but the Raiders and Cardinals could be options.
The Oakland Raiders have a top five draft pick this year and they may look at Amari Cooper or Kevin White as options and if they trade down they may consider Todd Gurley. The team needs a running back even after signing Trent Richardson and Roy Helu and that is why Peterson was mentioned as an option. The team signed Michael Crabtree over Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks and Reggie Wayne and the team may consider a trade for Adrian Peterson even after signing Richardson.
The Raiders have been a fairly active team this offseason after signing Roy Helu, Trent Richardson and Dan Williams, but they may look for some depth at certain positions moving forward. Bill Williamson at ESPN writes that the team may look at wide receiver, offensive line and the secondary as areas of need heading into the draft and they also could check on free agents. The price for free agents will decrease as offseason workouts get closer and that could mean some low cost, high upside deals for the Raiders.
The team is satisfied with Derek Carr at quarterback, but the Raiders want to give him more weapons at wide receiver. Williamson writes that Amari Cooper and Kevin White are the main targets in the draft for the team, but they also could look at free agents if they miss on those players. The team did not look at re-signing Denarius Moore after his run with the team and they may want some depth behind James Jones at the position.
Crabtree was signed and that came after he had very little interest this offseason and that actually played into a plus for the Raiders. Williamson wrote last week that the Raiders could be an option for an Adrian Peterson trade if the Vikings decide to make a move.
The team added Richardson and Helu and they already have Latavius Murray, but Peterson could be a game changer for the Raiders. The team has the cap space and draft picks to make a move, but Reggie McKenzie may not want to add $45 million over the next three years for a 30-year-old. The team could make the move, but right now it doesn't appear likely. Richardson likely will battle Murray for the starting job if all holds at the position for the Raiders.