Adrian Peterson met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his reinstatement this week and now the Minnesota Vikings and Peterson may be able to reach a resolution on the 2015 season and if a trade happens this year, teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins could be interested in making a deal.
Peterson previously was suspended indefinitely, but that was overturned on appeal and now he could be reinstated to the NFL soon. According to ESPN.com, Goodell had the date of April 15 as the date that Peterson could apply for reinstatement, but that was before the suspension was overturned. The Associated Press reported that this was the first time that Peterson and Goodell met since the legal issues came up for Peterson last September and the two also had not spoken on the phone.
The report said that Peterson met with Goodell for an hour and a half and they discussed Peterson's status. Peterson was placed on the exempt list last season and that is one point of contention that the running back has with his team. Peterson is still not yet officially reinstated, but he could be on his way back soon and that likely will set up a battle between the Vikings and the star running back.
Peterson's agent Ben Dogra has gone public about the future of his client and Peterson may not want to come back to Minnesota. The Vikings have been public about wanting Peterson back and the team has also said that they do not plan on releasing Peterson. That could set up a battle between the two sides if Peterson wants to be traded.
Peterson has a big contract and head coach Mike Zimmer has said that the team is not currently looking to trade the running back. Peterson is 30 years old and Pro Football Talk reported earlier in the offseason that the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals were the most likely landing spots if a trade happened.
According to Peter King at the MMQB, the Cardinals and Cowboys remain the top options for Peterson, but right now neither team is close to making a deal. King looked into the details of a hypothetical deal for Peterson and he speculated that at least a second round pick with have to be involved and potentially a first round pick. King wrote that Petetson's age and contract makes it tough for a deal and also makes it tough to find value with the draft picks.
Peterson is a $15 million cap hit and with players like Ameer Abdullah, Tevin Coleman, TJ Yeldon and Duke Johnson likely second round options, teams may want to spend around $4 million on that instead of Peterson. The Cowboys have a need, but they also signed Darren McFadden, while the Cardinals could use a strong RB, but they also do not want to take a huge cap hit.
The Vikings have been public about wanting Peterson back and now the two sides may have to find a way to agree. According to Bleacher Report reporter Jason Cole, Peterson's "dream scenario" is to end up with the Cowboys in a trade.
