The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson could be headed for a split through a trade this offseason and if the RB is traded, teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons are potential landing spots and it could come ahead of the NFL draft next week.
Peterson is officially back with the team after getting reinstated to the NFL from the exempt list, but there are reports that he doesn't want to stay in Minnesota. According to Pro Football Talk, the Vikings have been public about wanting Peterson back and that the team likely will not trade Peterson unless they are "blown away" by a "modern-day Herschel Walker-type package." All of that means a deal is unlikely, but there is a chance that a team could step up before or during the draft.
Andrew Brandt at the MMQB writes that the Vikings may push a trade at the draft, as teams may consider making the deal under pressure from the clock. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the team will keep Peterson if a deal is not done by the draft and that he likely will remain with the team if he is not traded on draft day. The report says that the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the most likely landing spots.
Peterson has a huge contract and that makes him hard to trade and so does his age. Peterson is 30 and while he is a Hall of Fame player and likely will remain productive, teams will be leery of giving up high draft compensation for a player that age. ESPN reports that a first round pick and likely more will be needed to get a Peterson trade done and teams like the Cowboys or Cardinals may not be willing to give up that much for the running back.
The Cowboys and Cardinals looked like the early favorites for Peterson, but at this point it looks like both teams are out. The Cowboys freed up over $12 million in cap space by reworking Tony Romo's deal, but with the way they have operated in the draft the past couple seasons, they are not giving up a first round pick. The team let DeMarco Murray walk because of age and money and those are two things that Peterson would bring back with him in a deal.
The Cowboys signed Darren McFadden this offseason and according to Todd Archer at ESPN Dallas, the team is planning to target running backs in the draft. That is another issue for the Vikings and Peterson, as the running back class is deep this year and teams may be more willing to draft a player than to trade for an aging back. Names like Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon and Tevin Coleman are some of the top backs in the draft this year.
Peterson is set to be a $15 million cap hit and he has $44 million left on his contract over the next three years. The Vikings have leverage and his $12.75 million salary will not be easy to find from another team. Mike Zimmer said he wants Peterson back and right now that is looking like the likely outcome.
