While Adrian Peterson has been saying all the right things to the media in regards to his intentions with the Minnesota Vikings, his agent is saying otherwise. The running back is currently serving a suspension with the NFL following child abuse allegations and will be eligible to return in April. Peterson has stated that he would return to the Vikings if everything was right, but his agent is letting Minnesota know that might not be the case.
According to ESPN, Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, has told the Vikings that Peterson will never play for Minnesota again and will seek a release or trade. According to CBSSports.com, Dogra had to be separated from Vikings team president Rob Brzezinski during a confrontation outside of team facilities. According to team sources this was not the first confrontation had between the two as the topic of Peterson continues to be a hot one amongst the Vikings front office.
Peterson is reportedly not seeking a return to the Vikings despite rumors stating he had told the team he would be back once reinstated by the NFL. The running back's future has never felt guaranteed with Minnesota even before the suspension was handed down. The running back is set to earn $12.75 million next season which makes a return to Minnesota difficult to begin with. If Peterson really is not planning on playing again for the Vikings, most fans can expect the Dallas Cowboys to be the major players for the running back.
The Minnesota Vikings will not find trade interest for the running back simply because of his contract status, but if released, every team will be eyeing Peterson. The running back has essentially missed an entire season and despite his age, he has fresh legs and will be ready to play come 2015. The Cowboys are aware that Peterson is interested in a contract with his hometown team. They can only afford the running back if he takes a steep pay cut in his next contract.
Right now, the Cowboys are trying to retain both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, but that is unlikely to happen. Bryant is about to be forced into a franchise tag while Murray has rejected offers from Dallas. If the Cowboys feel they could get Peterson, Murray is good as gone. The Vikings running back is about the only player with the potential of replacing the production Murray put up in 2014. Peterson has yet to commit to anything in terms of his future. The running back continues to stress his love for the Vikings, but is aware that everything simply comes down to business.
"It's hard to say [what my future will be]," Peterson said, via ESPN.com. "I love Minnesota. There are people that have had my back, and supported me. Last year, with the things that took place, had a lot of fans that supported me through everything. For the fans, I would definitely love to come back, but then again, it's a business, when it comes down to business, you can't get caught up in the loyalty to fans or to a team or anything like that."
