At some point soon, the entire Adrian Peterson drama will come to a head. He will either be traded or remain on the Minnesota Vikings for another season.
A recent report from Yahoo Sports insider Charles Robinson indicates that Peterson has told the Vikings he’s still not happy about the situation in Minnesota. The report goes on to indicate that the Arizona Cardinals would give up a high pick to acquire the soon-to-be 30-year-old running back.
This report pretty much falls in line with other suggestions that the Cardinals have interest in acquiring Peterson. It also comes on the heels of Carson Palmer restructuring his contract to create space under the cap.
There is little doubt that Arizona would benefit a great deal from having someone of Peterson’s caliber in the backfield. While Andre Ellington is a dynamic runner, he doesn’t necessarily have the frame or running style to shoulder the load. Even entering the wrong side of 30, Peterson has enough left in the tank to provide All-Pro numbers for a Cardinals offense that now includes elite run blocker Mike Iupati up front. The idea of the former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro guard blocking for Peterson would be scary for opposing NFC West defenses.
Arizona was mentioned as a possibility by Peterson’s father last month. He’s also been linked to the squad by multiple reports since the 2014 season came to a conclusion.
This is all dependent on the Vikings actually trading Peterson. They could very well call his bluff and see what happens heading into the 2015 season. Peterson is under contract, so any holdout would cost him a nice amount of money.
We also have no idea what a “high draft pick” means. Would Arizona be willing to part with its first rounder to acquire a running back with just a few more seasons of solid football remaining in his career? If not, would the Vikings be willing to move him for anything less?
Photo: USA Today