What can the VIkings get in a Adrian Peterson trade?

The NFL reinstated Adrian Peterson effective April 17, so now the fun begins with trade speculation involving the Minnesota Vikings perennial Pro-Bowl running back.

Adrian Peterson is cleared to return to the NFL and play this year, but he may not suit up in a purple Minnesota Vikings uniform for the first time in his pro career if he gets his wish.

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Peterson didn’t think the organization supported him enough as he sat out all but one game last year after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and later was suspended without pay by the league after pleading no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault after hitting his four-year old son with a switch.

He didn’t have to serve jail time, was placed on probation and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service.

With two weeks left until the first round of the NFL Draft and Peterson and his agent pressing for a change of scenery, what would it take for the Vikings to change their public stance of not wanting to trade Peterson and trade him before the season starts?

First of all, the Vikings aren’t rushing to part ways with Peterson and issued a statement after he was reinstated saying, “We look forward to Adrian re-joining the Vikings.” So if the Vikings are going to listen to trade overtures from interested parties wanting the future Hall of Famer, they’re going to have to be blown away.

What type of offer would blow them away?

A first-round pick I think would get the Vikings listening, but would the Dallas Cowboys who are picking No. 27 or the Arizona Cardinals who are picking No. 24 be willing to part with that pick when they could potentially draft Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon?

I think the Cowboys would be more willing to sacrifice the first round pick than the Cardinals, but I don’t think they would move the pick for Peterson who is scheduled to make $12.7 million and has a $15.4 salary cap number at 30 years of age. It would be a short-sighted move done with selling jerseys and bringing a Palestine, TX native to the team he was a fan of growing up.

He’s not going to be traded for another player and draft picks will be the compensation and with the draft two weeks away that doesn’t leave much time to orchestrate a deal. The Vikings hold all the leverage here and all Peterson can do it holdout from training camp later this summer, but I’d expect the Vikings to hold firm and wait for Peterson to blink first.

This has the potential to get ugly if Peterson makes it ugly by formally demanding a trade and not tip-toeing around the situation and letting his father or agent speak on his behalf, but I think the best the Vikings can do is a second round pick and perhaps a mid-late round pick to sweeten the deal.

But any dreams of a team trading a No. 1 pick for a 30-year-old running back with a $12.7 million cap hit should be squashed.

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