NFL News: Minnesota Vikings Sticking With Adrian Peterson, Won’t Trade Star RB
The Minnesota Vikings have no plans of trading away star running back Adrian Peterson despite pronouncement from the controversial player’s agent that the best situation for Peterson is not to stick with the Vikings in the National Football League, or NFL.
According to the Star Tribune, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer repeated his stance in saying that the star running back will be in the team’s roster in the upcoming 2015 NFL season and that they never said that they agreed to Peterson’s request to be cut or be traded by the team.
“I’m not going to speculate on what he wants or doesn’t want,” Zimmer said in Phoenix, Arizona where the NFL owners meeting are being held. “Adrian’s under contract for three more years with us and that’s why you sign these contracts. That’s why you get these big bonuses, you know?”
Last March 24, Peterson’s side, through his agent Ben Dogra, publicly stated for the first time that they want out of Minnesota saying that they don’t think “it’s in Adrian’s best interest to play in Minnesota”. However, Peterson is still under contract for the Vikings until the 2017 NFL season and the Vikings appear to have the leverage in the stand-off between the two parties.
Earlier in the offseason, the Vikings officials including team president Mark Wilf and chief operating officer Kevin Warren said that they will welcome Peterson back with the team but after numerous talks between the two sides the running back walked away without a commitment to a return and even said that it would be an awkward situation if he plays again for the franchise because of what transpired in the past few months.
“The bottom line is Adrian is an important part of the Minnesota Vikings. He's represented us on and off the field,” Wilf said in an ESPN article about the same time Peterson’s agent made the request public.
“We’re getting ready for the 2015 season and we fully expect him to join his teammates and be a part of what we feel is going to be a great season ahead.”
Despite the off-the-field issues and a strained relationship with the team, Peterson is still considered one of the top running backs in the league making Pro Bowl six times in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Other NFL teams are reportedly interested in acquiring Peterson with squads like the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals all waiting for the end-result of the talks in Minnesota.
Email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au to contact author.