Report: Six Teams “in the mix” for Vikings’ Adrian Peterson

Image courtsey of Vikings.com

We’re busy gearing up for all of our live NFL Draft coverage, but that won’t stop the news train from chugging along. In the NFL, a truly year-round league, there’s always something to write about. Today, that comes in the form of the oft-discussed Adrian Peterson.

On Monday, Chris Tomasson of the Pioner Press reported that the six teams are “in the mix” to trade for Peterson, and that next week’s NFL Draft will be their best opportunity to do so:

The Vikings’ greatest leverage will come during the NFL Draft, which begins on April 30 and ends May 2. In a class loaded with running backs like Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon, needy teams will be desperate to take the best available player at the position.

According to Tomasson’s source, general manager Rick Spielman could be able to persuade a team to trade for Peterson once the draft’s best running backs, Gurley and Gordon, are off the board. His source also named the six teams, many who have been linked to Peterson in earlier reports:

Arizona, Atlanta, Dallas, Jacksonville, San Diego and Tampa Bay

The list includes one surprise addition and one susprising omission — the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders, respectively. The Falcons are thin at running back, and second-year starter Devonta Freeman isn’t the team’s long-term answer in that role. Oakland, on the other hand, was tied to Peterson through media reports, but no real developments surfaced amid the speculation.

Peterson is under contract in Minnesota for the next three years for $43.25 million, including $12.75 million in 2015. None of that money is guaranteed, but Peterson’s contract may be too expensive to warrant adding a 30-year-old running back in exchange for valuable draft picks.

When asked about a potential trade, Tomasson’s anonymous source shard his take on Peterson’s value:

[quote_center]”If they got a second-round pick and a player, they’d be doing well”[/quote_center]

Spielman, who has been known to “wheel and deal” during the draft, will most likely gauge interest in Peterson while talking to teams. According to the source, this would give the Vikings an idea of where they’d like to draft a running back, because current options like McKinnon and Asiata are not the organization’s long-term Peterson replacement.

Right now, any negotiations between Peterson and the Vikings are at a standstill. Peterson was not present for Monday’s first day of offseason voluntary workouts, but his absence was expected, according to the source. Looking ahead, Peterson stands to lose money if he remains away from the organization that drafted him seventh-overall in 2007.

The team begins it’s first of three organized team activities on May 26, and Peterson will be inclined to show up — his current contract includes a $250,000 workout bonus, which requires 90 percent participation in OTAs and minicamps. The Vikings’ mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 16 to June 18, and if Peterson does not attend, the team will fine him $72,920.

Tomasson’s source is right; the Vikings really do “hold all the cards” in this increasingly muddled situation.

 

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