Adrian Peterson spent a good portion of the offseason trying to force his way out of Minnesota. Or, should we say, the All-Pro running back wanted the Vikings to think he wasn’t going to be happy until they traded him.
In an interview with Peter King of The MMQB on Sunday, Peterson admitted that he knew his trade demands would never be met.
“The reality, and just to be straightforward with you … I knew I really wasn’t going anywhere,” he said. “I am the type of person that likes to look at things from different views, so I put myself in the Vikings situation — the owners, the head coach. We’re not gonna let you go. I revert back to the Percy Harvin situation. Me, if I was the owner of the Vikings, there’s no way I would have let him go. But unfortunately for us, he ended up leaving. But that’s the way I would have looked at it.”
Simply put, this was always about money.
Peterson’s last contract included $36 million guaranteed. The Vikings had already paid him all of it, meaning the final three seasons of his contract would not have been guaranteed if not for the contract restructure the two sides agreed to last week.
Is Peterson one of the best running backs to ever play? Yes, but the trade market for a 30-year-old back is never really sizzling. AP obviously knew that, which is why he knew the Vikings weren’t going to get enough in return to warrant dealing him.
In the end, whining from Peterson and his agent resulted in more guaranteed money. I’m sure AP doesn’t care how he got there, hence his response when asked if there are any hard feelings.
“No,” Peterson said. “I like being here. “ … I’m in a good place. I have a beautiful wife and a beautiful family … I am really happy to be back with the Minnesota Vikings and to really get this season going.”
Remember what Peterson said about skipping organized team activities? That explained it all.
