For a time Adrian Peterson might have thought he had leverage in his zeal to leave the Minnesota Vikings or at least force them to guarantee the $45m remaining on his contract. The will of a superstar often wins out in such public battles for power. And try Peterson’s agent Ben Dogra did to get his client something, whether it was the guarantee or a trade to a more desirable franchise with a better chance of winning.
But demands and threats and arguments can only go so far in an NFL where much of the control rests with the teams. Ultimately, Peterson was unable to force a trade and on Tuesday he reported to the Vikings for voluntary offseason workouts having failed to win any of his fights with team management.
“I understand this is a business,” Peterson wrote in a letter to the Associated Press on Tuesday. “Clearly there were a lot of emotions involved, but I will only be better from the situation. I have a role to play and the Vikings have one as well. It’s time to move forward and put my energy and focus on preparing for the season.”
His presence at the Vikings workouts – which came as a surprise to the team – ends an odd chapter in what had been a wonderful career. He played only one game last season after allegations arose that he hit his four-year old son. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for striking the boy with a switch, an action he said was reminiscent of punishments he had been given as a child. The NFL placed him on the commissioner’s exemption list in September and he sat out the rest of the year.
Peterson will now resume a career during which he has run for 10,190 yards and 86 touchdowns, but he is 30 now – an age at which many running backs rapidly decline – and he comes back to a team where the relationship is fractured. He is guaranteed to make $12.75m if he is on Minnesota’s roster at the start of the season. Yet the rest of the $33m he would earn over the deal’s final two years is not a certainty. He told the AP and ESPN that he was returning to be around his team-mates and held no animosity toward the Vikings, but if the season away has robbed him of his skills or Minnesota does not turn into a playoff contender a bigger, harsher battle could loom.
“I love my team-mates,” Peterson said in his note to AP. “We have a great group of young players and a solid coaching staff and I’m excited to get back on the field with these guys and play in front of the fans again.”
At least for now.
