A new report suggests that a Vikings favorite won’t be wearing purple forever.
Mike Freeman, the NFL national lead writer for Bleacher Report, is saying the Vikings “are looking for ways to part with superstar runner Adrian Peterson sooner rather than later.”
Freeman wrote in his Post-NFL Draft Notebook Saturday that he constantly heard the Peterson rumor during the draft.
The trade speculation surrounding Peterson isn’t new. Responding to the idea of trade last November, Peterson told the Pioneer Press that he wants to stay a Viking.
Freeman cited two big reasons for possibly parting ways with Peterson: his age and salary. He noted that Peterson is 29 “and when backs hit 30, their production usually drops off precipitously.”
Plus, Freeman said, the money that is due to Peterson – which will escalate from $11.75 million this year to $15.75 million in 2017 – is an “impossible salary structure to pay a player in today’s game, where the running back position has been greatly devalued.”
The Star Tribune defends Freeman’s assertion about Peterson, and says the report should be taken seriously.
“He’s an actual journalist, and a good one, before you start asking about his credibility,” the Star Tribune’s Master Tesfatsion notes.
Tesfatsion doesn’t believe a Vikings move to unload Peterson is imminent, especially with the “uncertainty at quarterback.”
The writer says the 2012 NFL MVP is “someone that can ease the load off a quarterback and that can be very beneficial if rookie Teddy Bridgewater wins the starting position in training camp.”
However, an unnamed AFC general manger told Freeman that it was his personal opinion that this season will be Peterson’s last with the Vikings, and “despite the cap hit, they’ll make some sort of move to get him off the roster.”
