Report: Minnesota Vikings Will Not Release Adrian Peterson
Austin Belisle
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It look as though Adrian Peterson won’t be receiving the Greg Jennings treatment from the Vikings’ front office this offseason.
According to the USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings will not release Peterson:
#Vikings GM Rick Spielman told Adrian Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, tonight the team won't release him. No surprise but that's off the table.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 19, 2015
The “news” comes as no surprise, though. Peterson is still one of the league’s premier running backs, and if the Vikings are going to part ways with him, they will need to receive a solid return on investment — Peterson’s release would result in a $2.4 million strike against Minnesota’s salary cap.
The embattled running back is set to make $12.75 million in 2015 and will turn 30 later this month, which may explain his relatively quiet trade market — teams are unwilling to take on the Peterson’s expensive contract, which will pay him $45 million over the next 3 years.
Vikings GM Rick Spielman and the rest of the front office appear to be taking the “wait and see” approach with Peterson, whose 2015 cap number is a team-high $15.4 million. On one hand, the Vikings have the cap space to retain Peterson and move past his off-field issues. On the other, those same issues have alienated the Vikings’ fanbase, adding fuel to countless trade rumors and discussions.
Ben Dogra, Peterson’s agent, informed FOX Sports of his Wednesday night phone conversation with Spielman, who recently expressed support for the running back’s return:
[quote_center]”It was important for me to relay the position the Vikings are taking to Adrian. I want to make sure there is absolutely no confusion whatsoever.”[/quote_center]
Because Peterson is still on the commissioner’s exempt list, the Vikings have few options remaining — trade Peterson or restructure his contract. A trade seems more and more unlikely with each passing day of “radio silence”, and all signs point to Peterson lining up behind Teddy Bridgewater in 2015, no matter how “uneasy” he may be.
Stay tuned for all of latest Vikings news and Adrian Peterson updates!