The Adrian Peterson trade rumors that came up last year to the Dallas Cowboys took an interesting turn this week, as Jerry Jones was reported to have had a conversation with the Minnesota Vikings running back about potentially coming to the team in the future and whether it be through a trade or free agent deal, the report ruffled some feathers on both sides of the conversation.
According to ESPN.com and Outside the Lines, the nexus of all of this came when Peterson spoke with Jones on the phone after speaking with a Morgan Stanley money manager who had "who had attended George Strait's final concert on June 7 at AT&T Stadium" and after that Peterson was put on the phone with Jones. The reporter was there for the call and the report says that the phone was handed to Jones without him knowing who was on the other line.
The report details the exchange and basically says that Peterson made it clear to Jones that he wanted to play for the Cowboys eventually in his career. Jones replied that the team would see what they can do and while it may not exactly be tampering, it sure feels like it's tampering. Peterson is 29 years old and the poor play of the Vikings has sparked trade rumors over the past year, although nothing concrete has happened with it.
After the NFL: draft, a report from Mike Freeman came out that the Vikings would look at trading or cutting Peterson in the near future. Freeman cited the fact that Peterson is getting paid $11.75 million this season and is getting paid another three years, as he is in the fourth year of a seven-year contract worth $100 million. Freeman mentioned that the Vikings may not want to pay an aging back that much money and as the value of RBs decreases in the league, the amount of money going to him will not make sense anymore.
Peterson is not the typical back at age 29, but 30 is usually when those players start to break down. Peterson has dealt with serious injuries and has been one of the most consistent and dominant players in the league, but if the Vikings struggle again, he could be on his way out. The Vikings and Cowboys have quite the history when it comes to trading top running backs and that could come to pass once all this shakes out. Jones said since he did not initiate the conversation, he should not be breaking any tampering rules.
The Vikings had a tough season in 2013 and around the trade deadline some local writers speculated that the team should consider a deal at some point. Peterson put water on those rumors, but now things will surely pick up after this. Jones has long wanted a star like Peterson and he nearly drafted Johnny Manziel, but he controlled himself and did not do it. Peterson is a star and is from Texas and that could be a match made in heaven for Jones, as the team has not had much luck with RBs over the years after Emmitt Smith.
