The Minnesota Vikings could be dealing with trade rumors again in 2014 regarding Adrian Peterson to the Dallas Cowboys if the team stumbles like they did last year and if Teddy Bridgewater is starting over Matt Cassel and the team is in rebuild mode, those reports will pop up again and even if they aren't likely to happen, it could signal a move for the future.
Peterson is getting to 30 and while he has been extremely productive, most running backs start to break down at that age and with the value of the position going down, he could be leading to a split with the team. Mike Freeman from Bleacher Report wrote after the draft that his high salary will be hard to justify if Norv Turner uses his usual two back sets and if the team struggles and is in rebuilding mode, moving Peterson may be the only logical move. According to ESPN.com, Bridgewater will get first team reps this summer and while that doesn't mean he will be starting, he has the chance to compete and win the job.
The team may also look at trading Christian Ponder eventually, but right now they have no plans on doing that to give themselves some insurance. The team loves Bridgewater, but they want an experienced backup in case Cassel goes down and all three players are getting the chance to compete, but Ponder doesn't have much room for error. The team did not pick up his fifth year option and he could be on his way out of town eventually if the team gets a deal they like. The Vikings went just 5-10-1 last season and if they rebuild again it could lead to some major changes. The Vikings have some talent and could make some noise in the division, but they have to get off to a good start this season to do that.
Bridgewater comes in after slipping to the back of the first round and he was drafted after Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel and now he will have the chance to start over Cassel. According to ESPN.com, Zimmer said that Bridgewater will get the chance to take first team reps in practice heading into offseason workouts and that could be big for the confidence of the young quarterback. Zimmer could look to trade Christian Ponder at some point after he has been a disappointment with the franchise and if not, he likely will serve as the third quarterback on the depth chart.
Peterson has been one of the best running backs in football over the past two seasons and if Cassel gets hurt or doesn't play well, Bridgewater could end up starting this year. The Vikings feel that Bridgewater has the potential to start in this league and Zimmer has the confidence of giving him first team reps in offseason workouts. The Vikings ranked 23rd in passing yards per game last season and they are hoping to improve that along with the defense, which ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game. The team drafted Anthony Barr at number nine in the draft over taking Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel and the team also passed up the chance to take Justin Gilbert when they traded with the Browns.
