The news regarding Adrian Peterson’s latest knee injury could be worse, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. The star running back is expected to miss at least three or four months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, and he could be out for the remainder of the season.
If the latter winds up being the case, it’s fair to wonder if Peterson has played his last snap with the Minnesota Vikings.
Entering the season, there were rumblings that this could be Peterson’s last year in Minnesota. He’s set to earn $18 million in 2017 at age 32, which is absurd even for one of the greatest backs in NFL history. Now that Peterson is dealing with his second significant knee injury, what is his worth? As Albert Breer of The MMQB notes, the Vikings could save a bundle by cutting ties with A.P. this winter.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has a $6M roster bonus due 3/9/17. He's owed a total of $18M in '17. So Vikes can cut him before 3/9 w/o penalty.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 21, 2016
Before he twisted his knee in Sunday night’s win over the Green Bay Packers (video here), Peterson had carried the ball 31 times for a total of 50 yards in two games. While the sample size is small, you have to wonder if age is finally starting to catch up to him.
Here’s what we can say with certainty: Even this recent reminder of Peterson’s freak athleticism won’t make him worth anywhere close to $18 million next season. If he comes back healthy and is willing to take a significant pay cut, the Vikings could keep him around. If not, the greatest running back in franchise history may find himself looking for work.
