The Minnesota Vikings and running back Adrian Peterson were mentioned in numerous trade rumors heading into the trading deadline last Tuesday, but the team never pulled the trigger to the Dallas Cowboys or the Miami Dolphins and a former player in Herschel Walker is happy with that result.
Many fans expressed their displeasure with even the idea of trading Peterson, considered by many to be a top three player in the NFL and one that ran for over 2,000 yards in 2012 and won the MVP award. The reason for the trade rumors was due to a local column as well as speculation that the 1-6 Vikings could blow up things and start rebuilding after a tough season. The Vikings obviously opted to not trade Peterson and former running back Herschel Walker, someone who would know a bit about big trades involving the Vikings and the Cowboys, said that he felt that was the right move according to ESPN.com, stating in an interview that the move would be "insulting" after the way Peterson has played for the franchise over the years.
Walker was traded back in 1989 in one of the biggest deals in NFL history, moving to the Vikings from the Cowboys, which had a high amount of draft picks and players involved and he said now that a move with Peterson would not be wise for the franchise. Peterson is still considered one of the top backs in the NFL and last season he nearly broke the single-season record and while he is not having as good of a season as last year, Peterson still has nearly 600 yards and has been very consistent for the Vikings. Walker said that the Cowboys likely would not try and pull off another huge trade like the one went down for him and he also remarked that he should be in the Hall of Fame.
Peterson is fifth in the NFL in yards, second in yards per game and third in touchdowns and he is heading into a game with the Cowboys, which obviously would have made the trade move even stranger for him. The team has lost three straight since winning over the Steelers in London and while Peterson is not having the impact he had last year, the Vikings felt it was more prudent to keep him rather than trade him. The Cowboys and Dolphins were looked at as possible options due to their running back situations, but neither likely could have fit his salary under the cap and now the Vikings will try and figure out how to pull themselves out of this tough slide.
