Times have changed in the NFL. Once a heavy emphasis, the running back position has taken a league-wide decline, at least in regards to how teams approach them in the draft in free agency. The shelf-life is short meaning teams don’t want to invest too much money into a position where the fourth-round pick could be two times as good as the first-round pick.
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This thought brings us to the league’s best running back in Adrian Peterson. Soon to turn 30, AP could become a victim of modern circumstances if he refuses to take a paycut in the upcoming season. And more interestingly, Charley Walters of Twincities.com wonders if the running back could be headed to Dallas if the Minnesota Vikings decide it’s time to part ways next summer.
"Adrian Peterson, 29, probably will need to have a 2,000-yard season to return to the Vikings next year, mainly because his salary ($14.4 million this season) increases to $15.4 million in 2015, and that’s prohibitive for anything less than a sensational running back in his eighth NFL season.Should Peterson, who is signed for $31 million in 2015-2016, decline a pay cut next year, he could become a free agent. The home-state Dallas Cowboys could be his next destination."
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then you’re already imaging Cowboys owner Jerry Jones salivating at the opportunity to pair up Tony Romo with the consensus best quarterback in the league. Fair or not, Jones has made a few moves that could be bunched into the “attempting to make a splash and be heavily spoken of by the media” group rather than the “trying to improve the team” group–and Peterson falls into that category.
Of course, we’re a year or two away from this being a possibility. Peterson could play well enough for the team to decide he’s worth the risk going forward. There’s also the rare chance that AP could be traded.
But man, would this be interesting to see… for various reasons.