The Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson may still be headed for a split this offseason, as Peterson's agent has hinted that the running back will likely hold out from OTA activities and possibly training camp in the hopes of getting a new contract or forcing a trade and if that happens, head coach Mike Zimmer will use Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata as the starting running backs.
Peterson has not been present for team activities this offseason and with OTAs starting up this week, it outs attention on the upcoming mandatory minicamp. Peterson has been away from the team after he was placed on the exempt list last season and while it looked like he would be returning, now things could be in flux again. According to Charles Robinson at Yahoo Sports, Peterson "still wants to be traded" and he has "not yet made a decision about holding out" for the upcoming camps.
Peterson's agent reportedly "hinted" at a holdout to Jason Cole at Bleacher Report, while the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Peterson will not appear at OTAs. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Peterson will forfeit a $250,000 bonus if he skips offseason workouts and he can be fined if he misses the mandatory camp. Peterson was reportedly upset with how the Vikings and the NFL pushed him onto the exempt list last year, as he was expecting to play while dealing with his legal case in Texas.
Peterson is making $12.75 million in base salary this year and he is set to get over $40 million from the Vikings for the next three seasons. The Vikings were consistent this offseason about saying they did not want to trade Peterson and the reports about him wanting a trade could be a ploy by his agent to get a new contract. Peterson's agent Ben Dogra said earlier in the offseason that it might be better if Peterson was out of Minnesota and he later changed his tune a bit, saying that he appreciated the Vikings sticking to their word about not trading AP.
In that interview with USA Today Dogra also added that he feels the Vikings should show a "commitment" to Peterson and have him "retire a Viking." All of the talk and trade reports is likely posturing by Peterson and his camp and since mandatory minicamp is still weeks away, there is a chance the sides could agree. Peterson played in one game last season, rushing for 75 yards against the Rams before being placed on the exempt list.
Peterson and the Vikings appeared to be moving towards some resolution when Zimmer said that he had an "indication" of when Peterson would show up, but now things are uncertain again. The Vikings dealt with Peterson being out last season and the team has the leverage, as Peterson is under contract for the next three seasons and for a pretty nice salary for a player his age. It's understandable that Peterson's agent would ask for more guaranteed money, as NFL contracts can be torn up at any time, but Peterson pushing for a trade could be tough, as the Vikings have him under contract.
