Adrian Peterson – what do the Minnesota Vikings do?

Adrian Peterson appears to be headed back to the NFL, now what do the Minnesota Viking do with him?

Now that Judge Doty has ruled that the NFL had overstepped its bounds in punishing Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (as reported by ESPN), the Vikings find themselves on the clock and have to deal with him.

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It’s hard to say how fans will react to Peterson’s return from exile and the Vikings learned the hard way how negative things can go when they played Peterson after the abuse charges emerged. They know that they could face criticism from people outside the fanbase as well as inside it.

That may be more than they really want to deal with at this point or they may decide they can weather the storm.

Whenever they make their decision, there are really just three ways they can go, though some of their choices make more sense than others.

What are they going to do? Let’s take a look at all three options.

Cut him

This is the least likely scenario because even though Peterson is almost 30 (he hauls himself over the cliff for that on March 21), he remains one of the top backs in the NFL. So letting him go, with no chance of getting anything (save for peace and quiet) doesn’t make much sense.

However, when teams know you are looking to trade a guy, sometimes they will be stingy on what they offer in trade in the hopes that the Vikings get frustrated and cut him.

There’s another reason this could happen – Peterson could be obstinate and try to force his way out as well. It sounds like he might be unhappy and Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com has reported that Peterson’s agent, Ben Dogra, and Vikings vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski had to be separated in Indianapolis during the Combine and that one person close to the situation said Peterson will not play for the Vikings again.

And if he wants to, Peterson can make the Vikings efforts to do anything very fruitless, which could result in his being cut.

Trade him

Or Peterson’s efforts could just get him traded. There were rumors (since debunked) that Peterson had requested a trade, but even if they are untrue, the Vikings may try to get something for Peterson if they are ready to move on.

As mentioned above, if the team is going to part ways with Peterson, they’ll want something back. Ultimately they would likely want some high draft pick compensation while getting him out of the division, if not the conference.

The middle part shouldn’t be that hard, as Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago already have their running backs. Getting him out of the conference while also getting value might be tougher. Dallas remains a frequently talked about landing spot given the kerfuffle from August which had ESPN’s Outside the Lines reporting Peterson had told Cowboys owner Jerry Jones he would love to play for them.

The wrinkle with that is the amount of money Peterson is due – $12.75 million this year, with $14.75 and $16.75 due the two years after. Peterson is already paid quite exorbitantly for a running back even before you factor in his age.

That might even be too rich for Jones’ blood given the need to pay guys like Dez Bryant and we have no idea if Peterson would take a pay cut.

Keep him

There’s this option as well. How realistic is it? That’s tricky to say. Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune has written that GM Rick Spielman is interested in retaining him, at least publically.

According to Hartman, Spielman said “We’ve stated that numerous times, I know we came out with statements during the combine and I’ve stated numerous times, who wouldn’t want an Adrian Peterson-type back on your roster?”

The Vikings might be willing to do just that with a second year quarterback in need of a firm running game and a still shaky core of wide receivers. We don’t know if Charles Johnson can repeat his 2014 performance in 2015, Cordarrelle Patterson is struggling and Greg Jennings isn’t getting any younger.

Jerrick McKinnon played well last year, as did Matt Asiata – but neither one is Adrian Peterson.

Having Peterson in house would be a huge help for Teddy Bridgewater and the offense.

It could be that enough time has passed to where any outrage from the fanbase or outside of it is minimal. Or if not, it’s something they are willing to put up with. Peterson may yet make a statement condemning what he did, perhaps doing some outreach and public service in domestic violence and child abuse areas.

And even if all of the above is wrong – that the Vikings are tired of the mayhem and Peterson doesn’t want to remain in Minnesota – it’s not inconceivable that he gets stuck there. They might not get value for him in a trade and decide they don’t just want to release him for nothing, forcing both sides to make piece until they can figure something out.

It could be that these two sides might be stuck together come the beginning of the 2015 NFL season.

Andrew Garda’s work can currently be found on Fansided as well as SportsonEarth.com and the fantasy football site Footballguys.com. You can follow his NCAA basketball work at NJ.com, where he is trying to explain just what is happening with Rutgers and Seton Hall. Garda is also a member of the Pro Football Writers Association. You can follow him on Twitter @andrew_garda.

Adrian Peterson appears to be headed back to the NFL, now what do the Minnesota Viking do with him?

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