Adrian Peterson may holdout this offseason for the Minnesota Vikings in OTAs and training camp, as his agent Ben Dogra could be pushing for a new contract for 2015 and this comes after trade speculation this offseason with the Dallas Cowboys a potential landing spot for the running back if he leaves Minnesota.
The Vikings have been consistent this offseason about wanting Peterson to return to the team for 2015 and head coach Mike Zimmer said he expected him in workouts this spring. Peterson has been mentioned in trade rumors this winter after his push to the exempt list and that could be the main cause of any discontent. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Peterson is expected to skip OTAs this offseason and if that happens, he will miss out on a $250,000 workout bonus.
Peterson's agent has hinted in the press that he is looking for a new contract for his client and that could be the cause of the latest reports about Peterson skipping out on the offseason program. According to Yahoo Sports, Peterson "still wants a trade" from Minnesota after the way he pushed to the exempt list last season and that he "has not yet made a decision" about training camp. Peterson is one of the highest paid running backs in football, but his agent said to USA Today that he wants more of a "commitment" from the Vikings.
Jason Cole from Bleacher Report wrote on Monday that Peterson likely will holdout if the team doesn't give him a new contract, as he reported that his agent "hinted at a holdout" in a text message. Peterson's agent has been pointed this offseason in his comments about Peterson and his future and he previously said that it may not be in the "best interests" of his client to remain in Minnesota. Dogra likely wants more guaranteed money in an extension from the Vikings and he could push Peterson to stay away from all offseason activities.
Peterson is set to make $12.75 million in base salary this season and he has $44 million owed to him over the next three years. That is a pretty good salary for a running back that is 30, but with Peterson having a year off and being a likely future Hall of Famer, he may want some more security moving forward. Dogra could push the Vikings for a new contract and the trade speculation once again could be used as leverage in negotiations with the team.
The speculation could be posturing on the part of Peterson's side and if that is true, it may not work, as the Vikings have continued to say publicly they want Peterson back. Ben Goessling at ESPN.com wrote about the potential return of Peterson and reported that Peterson will be the featured running back if he is with the team in 2015. Last season the Vikings used Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata as the main running backs with Peterson out and now the team is hoping to have AP as the number one player on the depth chart this year.