According to both the Associated Press and USA Today, Minnesota Vikings Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman are scheduled to meet with running back Adrian Peterson on Wednesday at his Houston home. It will be the first time the two sides have spoken to each other face to face since his suspension last September for striking his young son with a switch.
And it could get a little awkward.
The Vikings repeatedly have said they want Peterson back on the team when he is fully cleared to rejoin the league, but Peterson told ESPN last month that he felt “uneasy” with the team, because of a perceived lack of support he received from the Vikings during his suspension. Late last month, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that Ben Dogra, Peterson’s agent, had to be separated from a member of Minnesota’s front office after a heated argument during the NFL combine.
There’s also the little matter of Peterson’s contract. He’s scheduled to make $12.75 million next season, which is a lot of money to pay a soon-to-be-30-year-old running back. The Vikings ideally would like to restructure his deal, but if the two sides can’t come to an agreement, Minnesota could cut him or find a trade partner, which might be difficult because it’s unlikely any other team would want to pay an aging running back that much money.
“I think it’s been very clearly stated that we want Adrian Peterson back,” Spielman said on Monday, per the AP. “There’s no question about the talent. He’s a unique talent, and he’s under contract with us next year.”
The linchpin could be Zimmer, who has been one of the few Vikings officials to express his support of Peterson throughout the process.
Last week, a federal judge ruled that a league arbitrator erred when he retroactively punished Peterson under the league’s new personal conduct policy. The judge sent Peterson’s case back to the league, which removed Peterson from the suspended list — allowing him to have contact with the Vikings — while it appeals the judge’s ruling. According to USA Today, the NFL and the players’ association could reach an agreement that would fully reinstate Peterson.
After spending the first 17 years of his Post career writing and editing, Matt and the printed paper had an amicable divorce in 2014. He's now blogging and editing for the Early Lead and the Post's other Web-based products.
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