Who’s The Boss? Vikings Give Peterson 2 Options: Play For Us Or Retire
BY: John “Hennry” Harris
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer calmly brought all of the Adrian Peterson “will he or won’t he” be back in a Vikings’ uniform this season after he missed his second straight day of OTAs.
Peterson wants a trade, but Zimmer laid out the All-Star running back’s only two options.
“He’s really got two choices. He can either play for us or he cannot play,” Zimmer said. “He’s not going to play for anybody else, and that’s just the way it’s going to be.”
Peterson has been upset with the Vikings since last season, when he felt the organization did not do enough to support him through his child abuse case and he was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
The 2012 NFL MVP was eventually suspended after he pled no contest on November 4 in Texas to reckless assault of the child.
Could Peterson really hang up his cleats for good? CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora thinks so, despite the fact that AP still has three years left on his contract which includes a $12.75 million base
salary in 2015.
“[Peterson] has ruminated on the possibility of retirement more than once, and has seemed less than enthusiastic about the prospect of playing professional football more than once,” La Canfora wrote. “He has maintained a posture that he would go to great lengths to not have to play for the Vikings again.”
There is a belief that Peterson would return to practice if the Vikings would guarantee the $45 million that is owed over the final three years of his deal, but as far as Peterson missing OTAs, Zimmer said that he’s “not concerned” because Peterson has a history of not attending the voluntary workouts.
“He missed a lot of OTAs over the course of his career and I’m not worried about it,” Zimmer said. “It is what it is. I got 89 guys out here I’m coaching and trying to get better.”
“I don’t know when he’s coming, so we’ll just leave it at that,” Zimmer said.
Peterson really does not have much of a legal leg to stand on – the Vikings know that and are unwilling to budge. I believe that the Vikings are forcing Peterson’s hand because he is an older back and still owed a lot of money that the team could use to rebuild.
One thing was made clear – the only choices that Peterson has is what the Vikings are giving him.
I guess ‘massa’ has spoken …