Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings have been at odds this offseason and the running back may want a trade from the team and if that happens, the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins could be potential landing spots.
Peterson played in only one game last season before being placed on the exempt list and his future in Minnesota is still a bit up in the air. Peterson is under contract for the next three seasons with the Vikings and the team has been public about wanting the running back to return for 2015. According to ESPN.com, Peterson met with Roger Goodell last week about his official reinstatement and he could be back in the NFL before the end of the month.
The Vikings said earlier in the offseason that they will not release Peterson and that could set up a battle between Peterson's agent and the team. At the owners meetings, Peterson's agent Ben Dogra said that it may not be in the "best interest" of his client to stay in Minnesota moving forward. ESPN.com reported earlier in the offseason that sources said Peterson was "uneasy" about coming back to Minnesota after the way he was put on the exempt list last season.
Pro Football Talk reported earlier in the offseason that the Cowboys and the Cardinals were the most likely landing spots, but no deal is close to happening now. Peterson has a $15 million cap hit and that could make him tough to trade and he has a $12.75 million salary. The Cowboys signed Darren McFadden after letting DeMarco Murray walk in free agency and they have often been mentioned as a target for Peterson.
The Cowboys just cleared some cap space by re-working the contract for Tony Romo, but that may not be enough with the players they have to sign in the draft. According to Todd Archer from ESPN Dallas, the Cowboys are interested in adding a running back in the draft even after signing McFadden. The class is deep this year, with names like Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, TJ Yeldon and Ameer Abdullah coming out.
Peter King at the MMQB wrote earlier in the season that the Cardinals were interested in Peterson, but they did not want to absorb his large contract. Peterson is getting paid over $40 million for the next three seasons and that is a lot for a team to pay a 30-year-old running back, even someone of Peterson's caliber. King reported that the team would be willing to give up a "high draft pick" for Peterson, but they likely would want him to restructure his contract.
The Raiders have the cap space to make a move, but they have added Trent Richardson and Roy Helu this offseason and may not want to give up the draft pick. Peterson has been very productive over the two seasons before his 2014 campaign, scoring 22 touchdowns and missing just two games in that time. Peterson rushed for 1266 yards in 2013 and the year before he set a career high with 2097 yards and 6.0 yards per carry.
