Even after a federal judge cleared the way for Adrian Peterson to be reinstated into the NFL, the future is still quite murky for the Vikings running back.
U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled in favor of Peterson and the NFL Players Association’s request to overturn the arbitrator’s ruling to keep Peterson’s suspension in place.
The NFL has announced that it will appeal Doty’s ruling and will place Peterson back on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. According to ESPN’s Ben Goessling, the move means the Vikings can start to make offseason decisions regarding Peterson while the appeal is pending.
https://twitter.com/GoesslingESPN/status/571085097106960384
The 4 options the Vikings have with Adrian Peterson pic.twitter.com/qQQe2Zc4dD
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 24, 2015
Even after Vikings officials went out of their way to publicly state they would welcome Peterson back, the running back told ESPN last week that he was still “uneasy” about returning to the organization.
Earlier this week, word of a “heated exchange” between Peterson’s agent Ben Dogra and Vikings vice president Rob Brzezinski at the NFL Combine surfaced.
Sources close to Peterson have also indicated the running back will never play for the Vikings again. But Peterson’s father, Nelson Peterson, told the Pioneer Press that AP remains open to returning to Minnesota.
Following the ruling he said the Vikings “hold the card” because a contract is in place.
But for the most part, the thought that Peterson may be looking for a way out of Minnesota continues to pick up momentum.
https://twitter.com/Adam_Klug/status/571048204608901120
So where might Peterson end up?
According to ESPN, the natural landing spot is Dallas, but there are several obstacles in the way of that, including Peterson’s $12.75 million contract, which the Cowboys would have to be willing to pay if they were to deal for him.
But the report notes, the Cowboys are also preparing to pay Dez Bryant $13 million and would have to make moves to clear salary-cap space to add Peterson.
But other teams may be interested as well.
“I’ve heard rumors, Arizona,” Peterson’s father told the Pioneer Press. “I’ve also heard the rumors of Indianapolis and the Colts, going there with a quarterback the caliber of (Andrew) Luck. I’ve also heard the Cowboys, coming back home with the Cowboys, behind that offensive line that they have.”
Dogra: "Any NFL team will be fortunate to have Adrian on its roster." He also described client as "strong leader" + "impactful performer."
— Dave Campbell (@DaveCampbellAP) February 27, 2015
