Now that it’s official and we know Adrian Peterson will be playing in 2015, most of the talk surrounding the 30-year-old running back centers on where he’ll play.
If you think you know where AP might end up, you must have a pretty good crystal ball.
Peterson missed virtually all of the 2014 season after he was indicted on charges of abusing his four-year-old son in Texas.
Now that it’s over and his NFL suspension is behind him, the Vikings seem happy to welcome him back. Their contract with Peterson runs for three more seasons. But the feeling doesn’t seem mutual, as Peterson’s agent has said he doesn’t believe it’s in AP’s best interest to return to Minnesota.
But because Peterson is locked into a contract, most oddsmakers believe he is still likely to return to Minnesota. The Football Betting Center places Peterson’s odds of wearing Vikings purple next year at 1-to-2.
“The Vikes camp expects Peterson to be in uniform in 2015. While Peterson might want out, we don’t see him sitting in order to get his way.”
Here are some of the other odds related to Peterson:
- Trade Peterson before/during the 2015 NFL Draft: 7/2
- Trade Peterson after the 2015 NFL Draft: 7/1
- Trade Peterson during the 2015 NFL Season: 10/1
- Release Peterson: 25/1
- Odds Peterson never plays another snap in the NFL: 50/1
Where might Peterson end up if he’s traded?
Many people believe that if Peterson is traded, it would probably be to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas certainly hasn’t done anything to quiet the talk, with a story posted to the team’s website claiming Peterson could make the Cowboys serious contenders.
The story could border on tampering, since Peterson is not a free agent and remains under contract with the Vikings, but the league hasn’t weighed in on the matter.
League has no comment on the question of whether the Cowboys' website article regarding Adrian Peterson violates the tampering rules.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 17, 2015
If Peterson is traded, the Football Betting Center lists as Arizona as the most likely destination, with odds at 9 to 2.
Other destinations could include:
- Dallas: 5/1
- Oakland: 10/1
- Falcons and Chargers: 20/1
- Patriots: 40/1
One note on the Raiders: NFL.com’s Ian Rapaport reports that Oakland has had at least internal discussions about trading for Peterson. According to Rapaport, the Raiders have plenty of money to spend after failing to acquire DeMarco Murray during free agency.
There’s another connection to the Raiders – Bill Musgrave. Peterson’s former offensive coordinator with the Vikings holds the same job in Oakland.
However, predicting Peterson’s future at this point, still doesn’t look like a sure bet.
