Brace Hemmelgarn, USA Today Sports
When news broke earlier this week that Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson would potentially miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, some came to the conclusion that his career in Minnesota was over.
That’s not necessarily an unrealistic stance to take. After all, the 31-year-old Peterson is set to count $18 million against the cap next season. Of that $18 million, not a single penny is guaranteed to him.
While Peterson likely won’t be back in Minnesota at that price tag, it is being reported that the Vikings want him to retire as a member of the team.
Citing two sources close to the situation, the NFL Media insider goes on to indicate that the two sides would need to come to terms on a renegotiated deal that would lower his cap figure in 2017.
Considering Peterson’s cap hit is more than double that of the second highest-paid running back in the NFL, said negotiations would likely have to include a drastic pay decrease for Peterson.
Then again, none of the cash is actually guaranteed, meaning Minnesota has some solid leverage here.
At 31 years old and coming of a serious injury, Peterson might be best served going with a renegotiated deal in Minnesota. After all, here’s a guy that saw the team stand by him when he missed a vast majority of the 2014 season due to a now infamous child abuse case.
As it is, this is something we will hear a lot about between now and March. The only question that can be answered before then is whether Peterson will suit up again this season.