The Minnesota Vikings likely will not trade Adrian Peterson this offseason, but if the team does go through with a deal, the running back could be traded to the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals or Oakland Raiders and this comes as his agent Ben Dogra has started asking for more commitment from the Vikings, which likely means guaranteed money.
Peterson's future has been up in the air for most of the offseason, but following the draft, it looks like he will remain in Minnesota. According to Chris Morten at ESPN.com, the best chance for Peterson to be traded was at the draft this past week and sources have reported that if it didn't happen there, it likely will not happen this year. Peterson has over $40 million left on his contract and that was one reason why teams were not lining up to trade for him before the draft.
Peterson was put on the exempt list last season and missed all but one game and he ended up getting suspended during this offseason. The suspension was later overturned on appeal and now he is officially back on the Vikings roster. Peterson has said this offseason that playing in Dallas "would be nice" and his agent has said it may not be in his "best interests" to stay in Minnesota.
The Vikings have been public about wanting Peterson back and they have said that they are not going to release him. Mike Zimmer and the front office also said that no trade was being worked on currently and the Vikings seemingly have all the leverage, as Peterson is under contract and is not owed money until the start of the season. Peterson has the highest cap number of any running back in the league at $15 million and his base salary is $12.75 million, which is high for a 30 year old player, even someone like him.
According to USA Today, Peterson's agent said that the team has shown "resolve" in saying "'we're not trading him,'" but he added that the team needs to show Peterson a "commitment". Dogra previously made comments about Peterson wanting out of Minnesota, but now he is looking like he is ready to ask for more money. Dogra said that solution has not been presented yet and that if the team wants to keep him, they should "show him a commitment to make him retire as a Viking."
That could play out over the summer with offseason workouts coming up and if Peterson holds out, the trade talk could come up again. The Cowboys did not draft a running back like many expected and that likely will bring out more talk about the potential of a trade. The Cowboys have been mentioned as one of the teams that could be a landing spot for Peterson and it comes after they already signed Darren McFadden this offseason.
The Vikings likely will not make a trade with Peterson before the season and there is a chance the two sides could agree on a new deal. The Vikings don't need to give Peterson more money, as they have him under contract, but keeping him happy may require a move. Peterson just turned 30 and one reason he likely did not demand to be released is the fact that he likely will not get that much money from any other team.
