The Minnesota Vikings are heading into training camp with high expectations this year and as Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel battle in training camp for the starting job, there is a chance that down the line star Adrian Peterson or backup quarterback Christian Ponder is traded if the team loses again in 2014 and is forced to rebuild.
The Vikings are coming into the season after going 5-10-1 and while Mike Zimmer has confidence in his squad, this could be a rebuilding season for the franchise. The team will be outdoors for two years as their new stadium is built and according to Mike Freeman at Bleacher Report, the team could consider trading Peterson in the future, especially if this season plays out like last year. The team took Bridgewater with their first round pick and he will be a future starter if he doesn't beat out Matt Cassel this year after Cassel came back on a two year deal.
Peterson was mentioned in trade rumors last season around the deadline because of how bad the Vikings were playing, but obviously nothing came from that. Freeman wrote after the NFL draft that with the way running backs are decreasing in value and the size of Peterson's contract will eventually lead the team to trading him or getting rid of him. Peterson is one of the best players in the league and while it's unfathomable that his team would ditch him, it could happen if the franchise is stuck in another losing season.
On top of that, Norv Turner is coming in to run the offense and he likes to use two-back sets and that could mean Peterson's value is decreased even more. Peterson is about to hit 30 and that is when most running backs start to falter a bit and while he is not most RBs, it could make for a very tough situation for the Vikings. This is obviously still a long shot and a long way from happening, but in this new NFL as offenses change and the salary cap gets tighter, the team may not be able to keep Peterson at that much money if he decreases in value.
The Vikings come into the season after ranking 23rd in the league in passing yards per game and they need to fix that and this year they have Bridgewater, Ponder and Cassel all competing to start. Zimmer and Turner have spoken about all three players having the chance to start and they will be battling in training camp. Zimmer wants the team to improve on defense as well and they come in after ranking 31st in the league in passing yards per game and 16th in rushing yards allowed.
