Running back Adrian Peterson won't play in the preseason.
Coach Mike Zimmer said last week that he didn't need to see the NFL's leading rusher from the 2015 season in an exhibition game but said he would leave the decision up to the 31-year-old running back.
"It was something I really thought about and ultimately I just decided against it," Peterson said after Thursday's practice.
A moment later, he said it was "a mutual decision," though he added that if he didn't want to play he doubts the team would have forced him.
Peterson has not played in the preseason since a brief cameo in 2013, when Leslie Frazier was the head coach, and he has not touched the ball in a preseason game since 2011, the year he tore his ACL.
Peterson said fans who wanted to see him take the field at the new U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday will have to wait until Week 2, when the Vikings host the rival Packers in their regular season opener.
"I'm looking forward to it," Peterson said about that showdown.
