The Minnesota Vikings are coming into the offseason with a number of questions at quarterback and after drafting Teddy Bridgewater, the team could look to trade Christian Ponder to someone like the Houston Texans, while Bridgewater will likely serve as the backup to Matt Cassel and this comes as the old Adrian Peterson trade rumors came up again and he could get moved if the team rebuilds in 2014 and 2015.
The Vikings are coming into the season after going 5-10-1 last year and while Adrian Peterson has been one of the most productive backs in football in the past couple seasons, those trade rumors refuse to go away. Things started up during the season while the Vikings were in the middle of a losing streak near the trading deadline and they picked up once again after the draft after Mike Freeman wrote that the team likely would part ways with him soon. Freeman cited the money that Peterson is owed and the fact that running backs are valued less in the NFL these days.
While moving Peterson is tough because of the salary and his age, some team will jump at the chance to get him and that could happen this season or after the season. The Vikings can cut Peterson after the season without a penalty and that could be a way to go, but doing that with a franchise player is always tough. Peterson is going to be 30 and that is the age at which running backs break down and while he has a 2,000 season under his belt, it could be coming to the end of his time with the Vikings very soon.
The Christian Ponder move is one the Vikings will make if they get the chance and a team like the Texans could be in the mix if they feel Tom Savage is not ready to compete for the starting job. Ponder has not played well since being a first round pick and he was outplayed by Matt Cassel last season and now he probably will be the second backup for him behind Bridgewater. There is a chance that the Vikings will keep him as the backup and bring Bridgewater along slowly, but after the way Ponder played last season that's unlikely.
The Vikings are looking to improve on defense next season as well and they drafted Anthony Barr over taking Johnny Manziel to get that going. Some say the pick was a reach, but the team liked Barr and Mike Zimmer said that he thinks he can contribute right away. Barr was considered a top 10 pick heading into the draft but he dropped a bit on most boards and the Vikings picked him after trading with the Browns. The team then jumped back and got Bridgewater and now he is the QB of the future.
