Minnesota Vikings GM believes AP will be back

Feb 6, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leaves the U.S. District Courthouse with his wife Ashley Brown Peterson as the NFL Players Association

Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said he believes that running back Adrian Peterson will be back with the team at training camp this summer.

Contrary to popular belief, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t, in fact, planning for life without running back Adrian Peterson. The team has maintained its support of their star amid misdemeanor child abuse charges that dogged Peterson all year and cost him all but one game in the 2014 season. As for that contract though, Spielman remained mum, which could be just as telling.

Rick spielman said he expects Adrian Peterson to be back with the Vikings but won't discuss his contract situation
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) February 18, 2015

More from NFL

This, of course, could all be posturing. The team could be planning to try to deal Peterson elsewhere or they could be looking to re-work their star’s contract so that it’s easier to absorb against the cap. But for now anyways, there appears to be nothing holding Peterson back from returning to his team, save for the league of course.

The NFL still has to approve Peterson’s reinstatement, which could prove a hurdle for all parties involved. That hearing is scheduled for April, and it could behoove both sides to wait and see what happens there before they turn to the potentially ugly situation that could stem from contract talks.

While it’s easy enough to justify having Peterson on your roster, it’s tougher to justify his contract, which is set to count for at least $15 million against Minnesota’s cap for the next three seasons. That figure has been at the center of speculation that the team might opt to move on from Peterson’s contract while the dead money is relatively cheap.

The Vikings would only see $2 million of dead money charged to their cap if they release Peterson this season. If they wait another year, they’ll be free of dead money altogether. So while the numbers associated with AP playing are pretty big, it’s the Vikings who are really in control here. When they feel they’ve had enough, they can trade or release Peterson with little financial penalty.

For now though, the point is moot. Peterson is under contract with the Vikings and he will be at least until we know how much longer the league wants to bar him from the field. Beyond that, it will be a matter of deciding if running with one of the best backs in the league at a premium cost is worth it for the team.

More from FanSided