Adrian Peterson wants guarantees from the Minnesota Vikings about his contract heading into the 2015 season and he could pull a holdout in the hopes of getting more guaranteed money in a new deal over forcing a trade, as the Vikings have said that Peterson will play for them or no one and this comes as Peterson went on a Twitter rant about the team honoring his contract.
Peterson's future has been up in the air all offseason and he took to Twitter to vent his frustration about his contract situation. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Peterson wants guaranteed money in his contract, as his salary for 2016 at $14.75 million is not guaranteed and that could be his main sticking point. Peterson has not shown for OTA workouts and Mike Zimmer said he had an "indication" of when he would report.
Peterson will give up a major bonus if he misses a certain amount of offseason workouts and he is coming in after basically missing all of last season. Peterson was upset with the way he was placed on the exempt list last season and now he is looking to get more guaranteed money. The Vikings do not appear to be willing to make a trade and that could set up a battle between the sides.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that Peterson could potentially hold out during training camp if the contract situation is not resolved, but the paper does not think that will happen. Peterson is not owed any of his $12.75 base salary until the season starts and that gives the Vikings leverage if he holds out. Peterson missed nearly all of last season while being on the exempt list and he played in one game while rushing for 75 yards.
The Vikings are in a good position to hold leverage, as Peterson is under contract for the next few years at over $40 million. The team obviously wants Peterson to be satisfied to a certain point and they could point to his already high salary if his agent takes a hard line. ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling said Adrian Peterson would be the feature back once he returns to the team, even though he is getting to the age when most running backs break down.
According to the MMQB, the Arizona Cardinals previously was as a top target for Peterson, but his salary and years on his contract made the deal an "absolute non-starter". The Cardinals just redid Larry Fitzgerald's contract to save money and they likely would have wanted Peterson to do the same. King reports that the Cardinals were willing to give up a high draft pick for Peterson, as they have a major need at running back, but the money was too much at the time.
Andrew Brandt at the MMQB wrote earlier this offseason that the Peterson situation would likely come down to money and that the running back would not be traded. It appears that this situation is playing out, with Peterson likely looking for an extension with guaranteed money up front despite having $46 million coming his way in the next three years. Peterson also likely is thankful the team did not release him, as it would be tough for a 30 year old RB to get money like that on the market.
